A Little About Me

What keeps us engaged in the work we do and inspired and motivated by the leaders we follow? If you think it’s things like the incentive of rewards or the advancement of a career, you’re not alone – but, according to recent research that’s not the case. Unprecedented data shows that disengagement and indifference in the workplace around the world are at an all-time high, and the reason is that leaders don’t know how to inspire their teams to see and realize their potential. In this talk, he shares a surprising answer to the crisis. I use the concept of surfing as a tool to unleash the potential in those we lead and in turn watch our people and our organizations flourish.

In this course, I share important lessons for leading differently and why this is an unprecedented time to reimagine how we build, motivate and lead our teams.

Over the past 2 decades, I've led teams in different companies and different industries domestically and globally, 1000’s of hours of research for my book, and over 25,000 hours in leadership roles. I've spent 10 years as a teacher and professor and nearly 2 decades in executive leadership. Originally from Southern CA, I am an avid surfer who is focused on teaching leaders how to motivate and inspire the teams they lead. 

With a diverse industry background in domestic and global markets, I'm an organizational leader that understands how to move business forward where motivation and inspiration become the competitive edge. Whether it’s the companies I've owned or transformed, I've developed a way that creates high levels of engagement. I use the spirit and understanding of a startup, the practices and disciplines of general management, and principles from surfing to help create highly functioning teams. (rickhansenleadeship.com)

Of my work, one CEO of a multimillion, dollar global organization said, “He’s built, motivated, and lead this team to be the most dynamic unit in the company’s 30 year history in morale and overall potential.”

After a brief stint as an English Literature teacher, I transitioned to business where I became fascinated with how leaders engage their teams. I struggled with how to transfer – or even can I transfer – the more soft skills of teaching over to the hard world of business, profits, and P&L. However, over time I realized the difference between the classroom and business was slight.

I'm a published author (Leadership and the Art of Surfing), adjunct professor in Organizational Development and Theory, and an online instructor on techable.com (The Rick Hansen School of Leadership). Also, to add a bit of personal flavor, I've competed in over 50 triathlons, 2 marathons, 10 half marathons, 10 centuries, a Kona Ironman Qualifier, and I'm a proud husband and father.