Jim Lawless is a pioneer in the fields of change and performance shift, an acclaimed author and one of the world’s most significant motivational speakers. He has inspired and empowered over half a million people across five continents with engaging keynotes based on his DARE Loop Framework and Second Strategy architecture. His ability to motivate people saw him ranked fourth in Global Gurus' top 30 motivational speakers in the world list in 2021. Jim's highly effective methodology, personality and presenting style differentiate him from the crowd. With the ability to connect to audiences of all sizes, Jim is able to offer a fascinating talk that will not only educate and inspire, but will keep the audience entertained from the very start.
Beginning his career as a Solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin and Manches, Jim later moved on to become part of the Legal Counsel of ICL Fujistu. Leaving the legal world behind, Jim began his work as an international speaker, travelling the globe to motivate audiences on change and team performance as part of Taming Tigers Limited. Today, Jim is a world-class keynote speaker and strategist who walks beside clients to create tangible success stories together. In 2017, Jim began sharing his expertise on AdaptAbility and AQ, diversifying his offerings as a keynote and motivational speaker.
Now, Jim is the Chief Executive Officer of SYMMETRY, a business consultancy that is helping clients adjust to the future of work. Sitting at the helm of the firm, Jim is pioneering the future of the workplace, focusing on individual and team mindsets that will help people adjust to the constant rate of change in modern society. Revered by international clients, Jim has formerly worked with the likes of ITV, BP, Fiat, Virgin, Vitality, Xerox, Microsoft, Unilever and Apple. In 2024, he yet again ranked in Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World list along with personalities such as Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Karl Lillrud.
Bestselling Author of "Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could", Jim delves into his own and others' experiences on the groundbreaking rules that he has developed in order to change a business or an individual's life around. These ten rules have been tried and tested by Jim himself, by becoming a Jockey in 12 months and taking the British freediving record, becoming the first Briton to dive deeper than 101m in a breath, and by others such as the CEO who turned the bank, Northern Rock, around. Furthermore, Jim was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in recognition of his business writing.
Jim Lawless is now available to hire via Champions Speakers as an official speaker agent, and when hired as a speaker, he leaves behind a precise, practical and simple map that audiences use to navigate uncertainty, swapping ownership and action for hesitation and escalation. Jim uses compelling frameworks that have been tried and tested by hundreds of professionals across the country. Commended for his thought-provoking, informative and inspirational speeches, don't miss your opportunity to feel motivated by the incredible Jim Lawless.
In May 2023, we sat down virtually with Jim Lawless and discussed the inspiration behind his book and how to best change an organisation's culture. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Jim Lawless.
Social Media
Books
Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could
Reviews
Jim Lawless received a 4.5 star rating across 20 events in 2023.
Agent Recommendation
"If you're looking for a motivational speaker who genuinely moves people to action, Jim Lawless is your guy. He's down-to-earth, funny, and incredibly relatable. Jim’s talks go beyond hype; he shares real strategies for overcoming fears and pushing boundaries. Audiences leave inspired, energized, and ready to take on big challenges."
Jim Lawless' official speaking topics are listed below:
The DARE Loop
The unit of transformation in a knowledge economy is the human. Velocity is achieved when our people have the courage, clarity and skills to do new things fast to deliver the strategy.
Yet nobody teaches your people the map to ‘outside the comfort zone’ so that they can navigate confidently through the self-doubt and emotional turmoil it will bring.
The DARE Loop is the mental model for adopting a growth mindset, designing from the future backwards to build tomorrow’s action list and taking accountability for your results.
Jim’s keynote - which takes people from their own ambitions and fears to 101m under the ocean, challenges their
limiting beliefs, make high performance accessible and lights up your delegates with energy, laughter and confidence in their ability to deliver the ambition.
The Second Strategy
The enterprise strategy, the ‘behaviours’ and the instruction that people are ‘empowered’ have all been rolled out. Yet there is no change. You have a ‘wicked’ problem to solve and ‘The Second Strategy’ is a proven way to approach it.
Humans cannot be commanded into being empowered. People need specific things before they will leave their comfort zone, enter uncertainty and become vulnerable to self-doubt, failure and criticism: at their workplace.
A disciplined Second Strategy is how to deliver the enterprise strategy at the speed required to win today. Every leader from the CEO down needs to be able to understand it, regulate emotion, deliver consistency and nurture the courageous action you need for progress to accelerate.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Please can you pass on my thanks to Jim. His session was fantastic! His delivery and presentation style was excellent. The session was well received by the audience." - Sarah, Senior Event Manager, Flywire
"Thank you for being part of our GDTO Extended Leadership Exchange, we all very much enjoyed your contribution, insight and great company! Your session got a lot of positive reactions and now it is up to us to further reflect on the key takeaways and keep that Lion at bay. Thank you once again for making Tuesday's session a great success." - Pravina, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Swiss Re Management Ltd
"It exceeded my expectations in so many ways and I wanted to let you know that the unsolicited feedback from participants has been resoundingly positive. A standing ovation is not given lightly by our European Leadership Team – a true testament to the value you brought to our conference and I’m confident that we are ready as a team to both tame and unleash our inner tigers." - Sinead, HR Director Cereal & Marketing, Kellog's
"Jim spoke at our annual partner event. I was truly impressed with Jim‘s impact and style. His speech was motivational and inspirational in many ways. Our partners and employees commended us for having Jim share his thoughts and experience at our event." - Ali, Area Vice President, Microsoft Middle East & Africa
"Working with Jim proved to be challenging and a turning point for our Exec team. It allowed us to step back and examine how we were operating as a team and create a team agreement around how we would step up together." - Ursula, CEO, ATOS UK and Ireland
"Yes, Jim's session went down really well for our conference. We had it as the last session, and it really gave a boost to the final session and a good way to end the event. Many thanks" - Jenny, Events Manager, Education Software Solutions
"Thanks – Jim put on a great performance for us. We were all very impressed and left the meeting in high spirits." - Karcher
"I am being approached all the time with new ideas and challenges from those who heard you speak … I love it!" - Vodafone
“Captivating- Inspiring- Thought Provoking”- Deloitte
“Insightful, inspirational and impacting- even in virtual form. Thanks for being with us today. I look forward to our next encounter”- Franco, Organisation Development & HR Corinthia Hotels Limited
"Jim left the team feeling inspired and ready to face change head on. Many people have continued to talk about his powerful words and are even discussing the potential of purchasing his book for their teams to read together. He really resonated with the team as a whole and everything we are facing right now as an organization. He was the perfect ending to an amazing week!" - Valvoline
"Jim was fantastic! It was the perfect end to our week together as a team and Jim hit on all the key notes we discussed." - Valvoline
"Jim was brilliant yesterday – the audience was really engaged with his session, he made them laugh and had some great feedback." - Danielle, Senior Internal Communications Manager, Compare the Market
- 2024 - Keynote speaker for Alto Day Berlin
- 2024 - Invited to speak at the Jersey Business Productivity Conference
- 2024 - Ranked 18th on Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World
- 2021 - Ranked fourth in Global Gurus' Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the World, #1 Motivational Speaker Outside of the US
- 2020 - Founder & CEO, SYMMETRY
- 2013 - Chairman of the Board of Trustees for HEROS Charity
- 2008 - Author of "Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could"
- 1997 - Legal Counsel of ICL Fujistu
- 1995 - Solicitor for Manches
- 1992 - Solicitor for King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin
- Set the British Freediving record
- The first Brit to dive deeper than 101m on a breath
How to hire Jim Lawless
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Jim Lawless for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
