Mark Graban · Keynote speaker
Give your audience ideas they can put to work.
Practical keynotes on Lean leadership, psychological safety, and learning from mistakes.
Help your leaders create the conditions for people to speak up, solve problems, and improve. Every presentation is shaped around your audience and the challenges they face.
See Mark in action
A clear, practical approach to better leadership.
Watch a short speaker reel on leadership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
View more speaking samples →What your audience takes away
Useful methods. Clear ideas. Relevant examples.
Leadership behaviors to practice
Specific ways to invite candid input, respond to mistakes, and support daily improvement.
Complex ideas made accessible
Lean management, psychological safety, and statistical thinking explained for audiences from frontline staff to board members.
A session built for your context
Examples, language, and discussion shaped around your industry, goals, and current challenges.
Speaking topics
Choose the conversation your leaders need.
Topics can be adapted for a keynote, workshop, or facilitated leadership discussion.
Featured keynote · Connected to the forthcoming book
The Silence Tax: Why People Stay Quiet—and What Leaders Can Do About It
Some people worry about the consequences of speaking up. Others doubt anything will change. Explore how leaders can address fear and futility by inviting candid input, supporting action, and following through.
In the news: “Being receptive to employee ideas and helping them turn those ideas into action means people will keep speaking up.” – Mark Graban, quoted by WDEF News 12 after his Silence Tax keynote at the Peak Performance Symposium (Cleveland, Tenn., November 2026). Watch the story
From “Nice” to “Kind”
Nice avoids difficult conversations. Kind has them constructively. Help leaders support growth after mistakes without lowering standards.
Explore this topic →The Mistakes That Make Us Better
Explore how leaders respond to mistakes in ways that encourage learning, innovation, and improvement.
Explore this topic →React Less, Improve More
Learn to distinguish meaningful signals from routine variation, so leaders can make better decisions with their metrics.
Explore this topic →Lean Leadership: From Cop to Coach
Build habits of coaching, engaging, and developing people as part of everyday leadership.
Explore this topic →Engaging Everyone in Improvement
Make daily problem solving part of how work gets done, with practical methods and leadership support.
Explore this topic →Find the right fit for your event.
Explore full topic descriptions, formats, and options for combining themes.
See all speaking topics →Across industries
Experience that connects with your audience.
Mark has spoken for healthcare organizations, manufacturers, technology companies, government agencies, professional associations, and universities in the U.S. and internationally.
Cleveland Clinic · NYU Langone · American Medical Association · Michigan Lean Consortium · Shingo Institute
What event organizers say
Engaging on stage. Easy to work with.
“Mark brings a confidence to a discussion, all the while assuring the participants that there is still plenty left to know and discuss. Professional, and easy to work with — knowing Mark is on board for our conference makes our job so much easier.”
Joe Pesz
Board of Directors, Michigan Lean Consortium
“Mark was a very charismatic and professional speaker. He engaged with the attendees outside of his session. He related his personal stories to our attendees’ industry really well.”
Event organizer
Retail industry, 2019
For event planners
Plan your event with confidence.
Find speaker information, photos, and planning resources, or contact Mark directly to discuss your audience and goals.
Frequently asked questions
Mark’s keynotes cover Lean leadership, psychological safety, learning from mistakes, continuous improvement culture, and managing metrics effectively. He tailors every talk to the audience and can combine topics for longer sessions or workshops. See all topics.
Mark has spoken to audiences in healthcare, manufacturing, government, technology, startups, utilities, and professional associations. He adapts content, examples, and language to the industry context of each event.
Yes. Mark has delivered virtual keynotes and workshops for organizations worldwide and is experienced with the technology and engagement techniques that make virtual sessions effective — not just a talking head on screen.
Contact Mark directly to discuss your event, audience, and goals. He works directly with event organizers — no speaker bureau required. Mark can also work through a bureau if desired.
Attendees describe Mark as clear, engaging, and practical. He focuses on high-content delivery — real examples, evidence, and frameworks rather than motivational theatrics. He is comfortable with audiences ranging from frontline staff to senior executives and board members.
Yes. Mark builds every presentation around the audience and the event’s goals. He’ll work with you in advance to understand your context, your challenges, and what outcome you want from the session. This is not a “pick from the menu” process — it’s a conversation about what will be most valuable.
Start a conversation
What would you like your audience to do differently?
Tell Mark about your event, audience, and goals. Together, you can shape a keynote or workshop that helps people take the next step.
Inquire about booking Mark