Dr. Thom Mayer: Healthcare Leadership
Leadership expert and emergency physician Dr. Thom Mayer equips organizations with crisis leadership strategies, resilience frameworks, and real-world insights from healthcare
Quick Facts:
- Medical Director for the NFL Players Association
- Key leader in NFL concussion protocols and COVID-19 response
- Played a role in Pentagon response during September 11 attacks
- Contributor to crisis management during 2001 anthrax attacks
- Formats: Keynote Speaker and Crisis Leadership Expert
- Audiences: Corporate leaders, healthcare professionals, and organizations navigating uncertainty, crisis, and high-performance demands.
- Outcomes:
- Lead effectively through crisis and uncertainty
- Build resilient teams and adaptive leadership strategies
- Apply real-world frameworks to improve decision-making under pressure
- Travels from: Pensacola, FL
- **Fee range: $15,000 - $20,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Leadership is Worthless…But Leading is Priceless:
What I Learned from 9/11, the NFL, and Ukraine
Dr. Thom Mayer has led a life at the forefront of leading through some of the most prominent crises of our generation, including serving as the Command Physician at the Pentagon on 9/11, Incident Commander for the US’s first bioterrorism incident, Medical Director of the NFL Players Association, and leading a Mobile Emergency Team during the Ukraine invasion. This keynote is a contrarian approach to leadership, which is: Leadership is worthless…because it is a noun – something you say. But Leading is priceless…because it is a verb – the things you do, all day, every day, in every walk of life.
Dr. Mayer challenges his audiences to ask the right question – “How will I lead myself and my team today?” By helping them to embrace that leading occurs – no matter what job you do – in everything you do, he inspires others to lead themselves, their teams, and their families
Filled with stories and examples from Dr. Mayer’s career as “The Master of Disaster,” leading at the forefront of crises on the world stage, this presentation challenges but also inspires new and practical approaches to leading your life in times of crisis.
Making Failure Your Fuel:
A Key Aspect of Leadership is Worthless…But Leading is Priceless
In his book “Leadership is Worthless…But Leading is Priceless” Dr. Thom Mayer presents many actionable yet contrarian concepts. One of the most intriguing of these is the idea of “Making Failure Your Fuel,” which builds upon the idea that innovation, which is an essential skill in these turbulent times, occurs not at the speed of genius, creativity, or intelligence, but rather at the speed of…trust. And the only way we can trust ourselves and our teams to innovate is to develop and perfect the talent of making failure our fuel.
Using stories and personal experiences from the NFL, the US Women’s’ National Soccer Team (including Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach), 9/11 at the Pentagon, Ukraine, Capital One, and world history and literature, this talk examines the details of using failure to motivate success, including:
- Failure is not the opposite of success-it is an integral part of success
- Failure motivates-Tom Brady and the NFL Draft
- Developing Your Failure Muscles-11 ways to use failure as fuel
- The Healing Power of Failure
- Limits Begin Where Vision Ends
- Taking ourselves lightly-and failure as our fuel
As Senator Mark Warner said in his comments on Dr. Mayer’s book, “Perhaps the greatest lesson Dr. Mayer has to offer is not to be discouraged by failure, but rather to use it as fuel-to take risks and get yourself back in the game. Leaders of all stripes can learn much from reading this book.” You can learn much from this talk.
Talent Short Bio
Dr. Thom Mayer is an internationally recognized expert in leadership, crisis management, and emergency medicine, known for guiding organizations through high-stakes, high-pressure environments. As Medical Director for the NFL Players Association, he has led critical health and safety initiatives, including the league’s response to concussions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Mayer’s leadership experience extends far beyond professional sports. He played a key role in the response to the September 11 attacks at the Pentagon and contributed to crisis management efforts during the 2001 anthrax attacks at the U.S. Capitol. These defining moments shaped his philosophy on leading effectively through uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change.
He is the founder of Best Practices, Inc., where he has driven innovation in emergency medicine and operational performance. In addition to his fieldwork, Dr. Mayer is a respected academic, serving as a senior lecturing fellow at Duke University and a clinical professor at George Washington University.
Read Full Bio
Dr. Thom Mayer is an internationally recognized expert in leadership, crisis management, and emergency medicine. As the Medical Director for the NFL Players Association, he has played a pivotal role in managing some of the most high-profile challenges in professional sports, including the NFL’s response to concussions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
His ability to lead through crises extends beyond sports; Dr. Mayer’s expertise in disaster leadership was instrumental during the Pentagon response on 9/11 and the inhalation anthrax attack at the U.S. Capitol in 2001. With a career spanning decades of groundbreaking work, he brings unparalleled insight and inspiration to every audience he addresses.
Dr. Thom Mayer is also a prolific author and thought leader, with his latest book, “Leadership is Worthless…But Leading is Priceless,” offering transformative perspectives on the essence of effective leadership. His engaging and authoritative presence leaves audiences not only informed but also motivated to implement actionable strategies for success. A senior lecturing fellow at Duke University and clinical professor at George Washington University, Dr. Mayer combines academic rigor with real-world experience, making him a trusted voice on leadership and resilience.
Dr. Thom Mayer’s content is highly customizable, allowing him to tailor his message to the specific needs of each audience. Whether focusing on crisis management, leadership development, or resilience, his presentations deliver a blend of inspiration and practicality that drives meaningful change. His authenticity and passion for empowering others shine through, ensuring that his message leaves a lasting impression.
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