Speaking & Keynotes
High-Impact Keynotes That Challenge Thinking
Jim Petersen, PhD delivers engaging keynotes that challenge audiences to think differently about leadership, character, and life. Drawing from his military career, corporate leadership experience, and bestselling books, Jim provides practical takeaways leaders can use immediately.
The Signature Framework
The Petersen Leadership Model
Every keynote is built on this proven model — five dimensions of effective leadership: Character, Style, and Judgment at the core, surrounded by the Culture leaders create and the Execution that delivers results.
Character
The foundation of leadership. Integrity, resilience, and the courage to do the right thing when it’s hardest. Without character, nothing else holds.
Featured in: The Spirit to Soar
Style
How you connect, communicate, and bring out the best in people. Style isn’t personality — it’s the deliberate way you show up as a leader every day.
Featured in: Who Let the Dogs Lead?
Judgment
The ability to think clearly, sort through noise, and make the right call — especially when the facts are incomplete and the stakes are high.
Featured in: The Facts Don’t Matter
Character, Style, and Judgment define the leader. Culture and Execution define what the leader builds. This is the paradigm Jim brings to every stage.
A Broader Keynote
Speaking on The Petersen Philosophy
The Leadership Model is about how you lead. The Petersen Philosophy is about how you live. Jim also delivers keynotes that add a fourth dimension — Happiness — to the same framework, drawing on the themes in The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow.
It’s a natural fit for retreats, leadership off-sites, and any audience that wants more than performance — perspective, resilience, purpose, gratitude, and how to live well at every stop along the way.
Audiences
Who Hires Jim
- Corporate leadership events
- Military organizations & veteran groups
- Financial services conferences
- University leadership programs
- Executive coaching retreats
- Association & industry conferences
Bring Jim to Your Next Event
Every engagement is tailored. Jim works with your team to deliver a keynote that speaks directly to your challenges.