Phillip Van Hooser: Leadership Speaker
Phillip Van Hooser is a leadership keynote speaker and business strategist who equips organizations with practical, actionable leadership skills that strengthen culture and drive performance.
Quick Facts:
- Highlights:
- Award winning leadership keynote speaker and business strategist
- Founder of Van Hooser Leadership, serving global brands and organizations
- Speaker Hall of Fame inductee and Certified Speaking Professional
- Leadership background in banking and manufacturing
- Formats: Keynote speaker, leadership trainer, business strategist
- Audiences: Corporate leaders, emerging leaders, HR teams, government agencies, and organizations seeking to strengthen leadership capabilities and improve culture.
- Outcomes:
- Practical leadership tools that improve communication, accountability and decision making.
- Clear frameworks for leading through change and strengthening team culture.
- Actionable insights leaders can apply immediately to improve performance.
- Travels from: Princeton, KY
- **Fee range: $10,001 - $20,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Choose to Lead
Steps Leaders Take to Intentionally Create Positive Impact
This culture-shifting keynote inspires the audience to take responsibility for their leadership impact and empowers them with the mindset and methods for making decisions that create stronger teams, better communication, and a more significant impact.
This program is perfect for executive, established, and emerging leaders:
- Stressed by their lack of skills and confidence or afraid of making the wrong decisions when leading multi-generational employees with diverse backgrounds and attitudes toward work
- Challenged to rapidly equip, prepare and retain high potential employees for transition into management/leadership roles as the labor market tightens and their current leaders exit
- Needing to build a cohesive culture of trust as they navigate mergers, acquisitions, and rapid change
Keynote Takeaways
- A fresh outlook on the critical role that intentionally choosing to lead plays in elevating individual and organizational leadership effectiveness
- A powerful model for improving the quality and appropriateness of organizational decisions made
- The 5 bases of decision-making and actionable methods for making decisions that deliver better results.
Too Busy for Details
Strategies to Solidify Leadership Connection
(Based on Phillip’s book, Leaders Ought to Know)
The strategies presented in this engaging keynote equip audience members to evaluate their effectiveness at building authentic employee relationships and elevate the way they listen, communicate, and engage with their people.
This program is perfect for executive, established, and emerging leaders:
- Dealing with broken trust, disengagement, conflict, or low productivity due to changing workplace demands or a disjointed organizational culture
- Preparing for management transitions brought on by reorganization or demographic, market, or culture shifts
- Anticipating rapid growth that will require high levels of teamwork, collaboration, and empowerment
Keynote Takeaways
- A better understanding of why employees want authentic connections, how these connections affect engagement and performance, and how to establish those connections
- Steps to improve active listening and open communication and build greater respect, trust, and authenticity
- Engaging examples of what to do and what not to do to solidify trusting, cohesive relationships that improve employee performance and retention.
We Need to Talk
Building Trust When Communicating Gets Critical
(Based on Phillip’s book, We Need to Talk)
This commonsense keynote equips the audience with six unique communication strategies for building trust when relationships and results are riding on the words they say and the way they say them.
This program is perfect for executive, established, and emerging leaders:
- Needing to communicate difficult decisions about downsizing, layoffs, or restructuring due to rapid or unexpected business changes
- Experiencing distrust, disloyalty, and declining engagement due to changing values of the workforce or changing workplace demands
- Tasked with creating a cohesive culture following mergers and acquisitions, leadership shifts, or market changes
Keynote Takeaways
- Tried-and-true strategies for communicating difficult, unpleasant messages in a way that strengthens relationships rather than damages them
- Strategic approaches to rebuilding the believability quotient when truthfulness hasn’t always been practiced
- Active listening and communication methods that build rapport, empathy, and trust with employees and customers
Moving Up, Moving On
Succession Planning for Continuity and Long-Term Growth
(Joint Keynote with Alyson Van Hooser)
Succession planning is vital to an organization’s long-term success, but the why, what, who, and how of planning for a transition can be difficult to navigate. This inspiring keynote offers a practical perspective on the challenges and opportunities surrounding succession planning while leaving a legacy of impact and assuring a future for continued excellence.
This program is perfect for executive, established, and emerging leaders:
- Struggling to adopt the “letting go and letting others” mindset needed for effective succession planning
- Burned out from carrying the load themselves but unsure how to identify, trust, train, and ultimately transition a competent successor
- Wanting practical insights into successfully navigating the human element of the succession planning process.
Keynote Takeaways
- A practical 6-step process for successfully empowering employees for top-level management and leadership
- Actionable insights on identifying and leveraging opportunities to strengthen their professional relationships through intentional communication
- A fresh, multi-demographic approach to succession planning and developing the next generation of capable, equipped leaders
Talent Short Bio
Phillip Van Hooser is an award winning leadership expert, business strategist and keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience helping organizations build stronger leaders and healthier workplace cultures. As the founder of Van Hooser Leadership, Phillip has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and small businesses to deliver leadership development that is practical, accessible and results driven.
His leadership philosophy is shaped by real world experience. Before becoming a full time speaker and consultant, Phillip held leadership roles in banking and manufacturing, where he learned firsthand the pressures of managing people, navigating change and making high stakes decisions. This blend of corporate experience, academic grounding and on the ground leadership offers audiences a perspective that is both relatable and immediately applicable.
Phillip is the author of several leadership books, including Leaders Ought to Know, which outlines common sense, principle based practices for leaders at every level.
Read Full Bio
Phillip Van Hooser is an award-winning keynote speaker, leadership expert, and business strategist known for helping organizations elevate their leadership practices and transform workplace culture. With over three decades of experience in training leaders across industries, Phillip has established himself as a trusted authority in the field of leadership development. His practical, real-world insights combined with his engaging speaking style make him one of the most sought-after keynote speakers for businesses looking to develop effective leaders.
As the founder of Van Hooser Leadership, Phillip has worked with some of the world’s most recognizable brands, offering them customized leadership training and keynote presentations that drive measurable results. His books, including Leaders Ought to Know: 11 Ground Rules for Common Sense Leadership, provide actionable strategies for leaders at all levels. Event planners seeking an impactful, highly-experienced leadership speaker turn to Phillip Van Hooser for his ability to connect with audiences and inspire immediate action.
Phillip Van Hooser is a renowned leadership expert, author, and speaker based in St. Augustine, Florida. With over three decades of experience in leadership development, Phillip has dedicated his career to empowering leaders to unlock their full potential and drive organizational excellence. His journey began in the trenches of corporate America, where he honed his leadership skills and discovered his passion for guiding others toward greatness.
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Talent Videos
Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, Leadership Expert
In this 3 minute keynote excerpt, Phillip Van Hooser challenges leaders to elevate their impact by embracing service, action and the responsibility to develop the next generation.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this short keynote segment, Phillip Van Hooser speaks directly to supervisors, managers and emerging leaders about the urgency and responsibility of leadership today. He opens by acknowledging the importance of the moment, noting that individuals have more opportunity than ever to influence their organizations, industries and communities. Leadership, he argues, is not limited to title or hierarchy but is a role that extends far beyond the workplace.
Phillip shares insights drawn from more than 40 years spent studying leadership and speaking to over 4,500 organizations. His experience has shown that while industries shift and environments change, the foundational principles of leadership remain constant. These principles, he explains, are timeless truths that underpin strong organizations and enable leaders to guide others through challenge, change and growth.
He offers his definition of leadership as the ability to offer service and the willingness to take action. Service oriented leadership, he notes, requires genuine care for people. If employees do not believe their leaders care, they are unlikely to commit to the level of engagement required for organizational success. Because of this, leaders must intentionally create environments where individuals feel valued, supported and encouraged to grow.
Phillip emphasizes that developing the next generation of leaders is a shared responsibility. Today’s leaders must invite people in, prepare them and empower them to contribute meaningfully. He encourages viewers to choose leadership deliberately, recognizing that leadership is a personal decision as much as it is a professional one.
Key Moments
- 00:28 The opportunity individuals have today to influence and make meaningful impact.
- 00:55 Lessons from 40 years of studying leadership and speaking to 4,500 organizations.
- 01:35 Foundational principles of leadership and Phillip’s definition: service and action.
- 02:10 The necessity of leaders who care, engage and develop the next generation.
Phillip Van Hooser - Hall of Fame Leadership Keynote Speaker
In this 2 minute keynote highlight, Phillip Van Hooser shares essential communication principles and decision making questions every leader must master to influence with clarity and care.
Video Summary & Key Moments
In this concise keynote segment, Phillip Van Hooser blends humor, insight and practical leadership guidance to remind leaders of the fundamentals that shape effective influence. He opens with a lighthearted acknowledgment of the audience’s commitment, then immediately transitions into a core message: leaders must be able to make informed decisions. He offers five key questions every decision maker should be able to answer before feeling confident in their choices, reinforcing the importance of clarity and preparation.
Phillip then emphasizes the relational foundation of great leadership. Leaders should speak with people, not at them or around them. Authority alone is not persuasive. What truly moves people is the sense that their leader engages them with respect, curiosity and genuine interest. He explains that when leaders care about people, those people care not only about their leader but also about the quality of their own work because they want to contribute meaningfully and make their leader proud.
Care and compassion, he notes, are not soft skills but strategic leadership tools. When leaders address people’s needs sincerely, they improve engagement, strengthen trust and create an environment where individuals are motivated to support shared goals.
Phillip reinforces that communication is a non-negotiable responsibility for leaders. Clear communication fuels performance, alignment and accountability. Equally important is the leader’s willingness to listen. He states that the most important question a leader can ask is “What do you think?” but warns that it should only be asked when the leader is fully prepared to receive the answer with openness and sincerity.
Key Moments
- 00:12 Five questions leaders must answer before making confident decisions.
- 00:34 Communicating as an information source rather than an authority figure.
- 00:55 How genuine care impacts engagement, quality and loyalty.
- 01:25 The power of asking “What do you think?” and listening with an open mind.
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**Overview of User Reviews:**
Phil's presentations have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from various professionals, highlighting his engaging style and relevant content. Attendees described his sessions as "spectacular" and "outstanding," emphasizing his ability to energize audiences with on-target messages that resonate well. His dynamic energy and positive outlook have been particularly appreciated, especially during challenging times, making him a sought-after speaker for future events.
**Strengths:**
– Highly engaging and dynamic presentation style
– Relevant and uplifting messages that resonate with audiences
– Ability to foster excitement and positive feedback from attendees
– Strong rapport with event organizers, leading to repeat bookings
**Weaknesses:**
– No specific weaknesses were mentioned in the reviews.
Overall, Phil is highly recommended by his clients, with many looking forward to having him back for future events.
Talent FAQ's
Do speakers charge a flat fee or by the hour?
Speaker fees can vary depending on factors such as expertise, demand, and event specifics. While some speakers may charge a flat fee for their services, others may have hourly rates. It’s best to discuss fee structures directly with the speaker or their representative to understand the pricing model.
What is the typical duration of a keynote speech and what is included?
Keynote speeches typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, with the duration determined by the speaker’s expertise, the event’s agenda, and audience preferences. Keynote speeches often include a combination of inspirational stories, practical insights, and actionable advice tailored to the event’s theme or objectives.
Does the scale of the event and audience size affect a speaker’s fee?
The scale of the event and audience size can indeed impact a speaker’s fee. Larger events with a broader reach or higher attendance may command higher fees due to increased exposure and demand. Conversely, smaller events or niche audiences may offer opportunities for more flexible pricing arrangements.
Travel expenses and other costs
Travel expenses such as transportation, accommodation, and meals are typically negotiated separately from the speaker’s fee. These costs vary depending on the speaker’s location, travel distance, and event duration. It’s important to clarify travel arrangements and expenses during the booking process to avoid misunderstandings.
Deposits and securing a booking
Many speakers require a deposit to secure a booking, with the remaining balance due closer to the event date. Deposits are often non-refundable and serve as a commitment from both parties. It’s advisable to discuss deposit requirements and payment terms with the speaker or their representative when finalizing the booking.
Additional tips and takeaways
- Virtual speaking appearances are a cost-effective alternative to high speaking fees, often 10-50% cheaper than in-person rates.
- There is typically no difference in fee for a 15-minute speech versus a 60-minute speech.
- Some motivational speakers are open to discounting their fee if hired for more than one event by the same organization.
- When browsing speakers, consider their location to keep travel costs down.
- Personal connections to your organization or event location can increase your chances of securing a renowned speaker.
- Be upfront about your needs and expectations to ensure a successful partnership.
- Speaker bureaus like Speakers Inc help guide you through the booking process to negotiate the best deal with favorable terms.
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