Best-Selling Author, Award-Winning Leadership Expert,
and Professional Speaker
Speaker and author David Cottrell has created a legacy of leadership excellence. During his three decades of leadership experience in corporate America, David lived the obstacles, frustrations and issues today’s leaders face. The best-selling business author of more than 30 highly acclaimed books, David has been a featured expert on television and has shared his leadership philosophy and lessons with more than half a million managers and leaders worldwide. He is currently President & CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute, one of the nation’s largest publishers of management and leadership resources.
Leadership Expert
David has walked in leaders’ shoes. David started his career as one of the youngest sales managers in the history of Xerox Corporation. After a decade with Xerox, David joined FedEx where he was elected multiple times to the President’s Club. To this day, David is the only person to have been chosen District Manager of the Year for two consecutive years. In sales and executive management positions with FedEx and Xerox and the successful turnaround of a Chapter 11 company, David created a legacy of leadership excellence. David’s tremendous leadership achievements were the result of his deep belief that he could expect the best from people by investing in them. His wisdom and sincerity come from one who has “been there.” David’s depth of knowledge and experience make for content-rich learning experiences that few other speakers can match.
Cornerstone Leadership Institute
David now puts his proven leadership skills into practice at CornerStone Leadership Institute. CornerStone’s mission is to provide affordable people-development tools to anyone aspiring to be a leader in their field. Their reach has extended globally to more than 15,000 businesses, associations, government agencies and educational institutions.
Professional Speaker, Trainer and Facilitator
A speaker, trainer and facilitator for many of today’s most successful organizations, the impact of David’s presentations is immediate and long-lasting. His leadership philosophy and lessons have become the guiding force for some of the top companies in existence today. Laced with energy, humor and audience engagement, his presentations provide practical tips that attendees can use in their everyday lives. Past clients include Walmart, Southwest Airlines, ExxonMobil, Macy’s, Yum! Brands, ClubCorp, Cigna Healthcare, Duke Energy, Land’s End, Aflac, Raytheon and the Social Security Administration. These groups will tell you that David changed not only their perspectives, their energy levels and their attitudes, but he changed their lives.
Best-Selling Author
With more than three million copies of his books in print, David is most well-known for authoring the ground-breaking, best-selling books Monday Morning Leadership, Monday Morning Mentoring, Tuesday Morning Coaching, and LeaderShift: Making Leadership Everyone’s Business. His books have been adopted by organizations in numerous countries as trusted leadership training tools. In addition to a wealth of information on leadership, his book and presentation topics include: success principles; coaching; accountability; communication; sales; customer service; presentation skills; and time management.
The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don’t Be Stupid. Don’t Be A Jerk
Do your leaders want to do great things, but are overwhelmed with the complexities of leading? Don't Be Stupid. Don't Be a Jerk are the two greatest rules for leaders to achieve extraordinary results with class. Based on his latest book, David Cottrell’s keynote is direct and simple: think your decisions through and take care of your team. It is grounded on solid principles that apply to businesses in every industry. If you are searching for a speaker who will provide your team with tried and proven techniques that improve employee morale, decrease turnover, improve results plus help them have a whole lot more fun leading, this is for you. The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don't be Stupid, Don't be a Jerk gives you the expert tips and techniques you need to treat your team with dignity and respect—so you can all enjoy the benefits of winning with class.
Energize Your Team, Customers, and Profits
In his motivational program, based on the book Monday Morning Motivation, David Cottrell reveals a precious resource your business cannot afford to be without: organizational energy. What is organizational energy? It is a solid commitment to a group, its mission, and its values. When used correctly, organizational energy strengthens and solidifies individual drive, producing an unshakable desire to achieve bigger and better results. This is a precious resource your organization cannot afford to be without. Cottrell offers the tools to become a better leader and motivator, to take business to new heights and employees to new levels in job satisfaction.
Make the Choice: Go From Everyday to Extraordinary
Why does success seem to come easily to some and not to others? Success is ultimately realized by those who make more right choices and quickly recover from their wrong choices. Based on the book Monday Morning Choices, this program creates a foundation for organizational and personal success... how to achieve it, how to keep it and how to enjoy it by consistently making better choices. David Cottrell has spent much of his career seeking answers to what separates the successful from those who fail to reach their level of success. His findings incorporate 12 choices that lead to success.
Monday Morning Leadership
What would be the impact on your organization and your business if every one of your leaders spent dedicated time with a mentor? Now they can. In this program based on his best-selling book, Monday Morning Mentoring and Monday Morning Leadership, David delivers up to 10 key success principles that equip leaders to confront and overcome their daily “people” challenges.
Reigniting Success In Your Organization
What is the key to success? There isn’t one. Long-term success is not the result of one defining change or doing one thing well. It comes from embracing several small, simple yet powerful truths. During this presentation, David shares real life stories of people and organizations who have identified and implemented these simple philosophies which led to their success. Participants gain common sense principles and ideas that you can be implemented immediately.
How Leaders Achieve Magical Results
If you depend on the results of others, this program is for you. What does it take to be the best leader? In its simplest form, leadership comes down to meeting the basic needs of your team. In this program you will discover how to answer six key questions that are important to every employee and team. What is REALLY important? How am I doing? How is our team doing? Do you care? What difference do we make? Are you worth following? Clearly and consistently answering these six questions means you are the kind of leader people want to follow. Implementing the concepts and ideas learned means your team morale will improve, job satisfaction will increase and turnover will decrease. You’ll be able to create an atmosphere where employees willingly give discretionary effort and achieve better results – faster than ever before! This program is based on David Cottrell’s book, The Magic Question: A simple question every leader dreams of answering.
All David Cottrell Books
The War At Work: A Tale of Navigating the Unwritten Rules of the Hierarchy in a Half Changed World
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The First Two Rules of Leadership: Don’t be Stupid, Don’t be a Jerk
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Second Quarter … Get the most out of life’s toughest times
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Monday Morning Leadership
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Listen-Up, Leader!
Purchase Book"Everyone walked away from our meeting energized--not only with motivational thoughts, but also with practical tips that we can use in our everyday lives. Thanks for delivering more than we were hoping for!"
- | Southwest Airlines Co
"Clearly, the highlight of the day and the "difference maker" was the series you facilitated. Many participants were especially impressed by your ability to tie the qualities of successful leadership directly to our core values and philosophy. This approach resonated very well with our leaders."
- | CenterPoint Energy
"You presented an important message full of powerful wisdom and examples, punctuated with style and humor. You bring a presence and charisma to your audience, and you know how to involve the crowd and keep them attentive."
- | Manufacturers Resource Center
"David's presentation was extremely well received. On target, with great reminders and challenges. David and his keynote address was the star; with highest accolades and setting the tone and stage for everything that followed. Thanks to you and David for making this happen and allowing us to benefit of his vast knowledge, experience and talent."
- NBAA | Eli Cotti, Director
