Biography

Recognized as the #1 Future of Work influencer by Onalytica, and author of 9 books including the second edition of NextMapping™ – Anticipate, Navigate and Create the Future of Work with companion workbook.

Other book titles include The Art of Change Leadership – Driving Transformation In a Fast Paced-World (Wiley 2015), 101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work (2010) and four other books on the ultimate leadership skills needed to be future of work ready.

Cheryl’s future of work thought leadership has been featured in publications such as Huff Post, Forbes, IABC Magazine, Law Magazine, Metro New York, Entrepreneur Magazine, Readers Digest, CBS Online, NBC Online, Fox Online and more.

For over two decades Cheryl has built a reputation for delivering extraordinary value to clients that include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Omnitel, Gartner, British Telcomm, Manulife, as well as mid-sized companies and entrepreneurs in industries that include technology, health, agriculture, finance, insurance and more.

NextMapping™ was developed as a proprietary business solution brand that encompasses all of Cheryl’s work and research on the future of work and the leadership needed to navigate change in the workplace. It’s time to not just hear about the future but to use NextMapping™ to get there! Technology in the workplace must be used to prepare for the future with a focus on how technology can enhance outcomes for people.

The common theme of all of Cheryl’s life’s work is a ‘people first’ and digital second approach to create a more human future, helping companies to build the leadership capacity needed to ‘change the world through business.’

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The Future of Leadership - New Keynote!!!

What are the attributes, what are the mindsets and what are the secrets to being a change leader driving towards the future of work?

Never before have workplaces had so much ambiguity, uncertainty, and constant change. Workers are challenged with doing more with less, learning at the speed of disruption and working with diverse situations. There is a massive opportunity for leaders to create the future for themselves and their teams.

With the increase of digital transformation, there is a calling for leaders to be connected, empathetic and inspiring for their teams.

Attendees will leave this session with:

The most recent and up to date research on the future workplace and what it means for leaders today
Statistics and sentiment analysis on worker attitudes and what workers want today and in the future from their leaders
Leadership models on the ‘me to we’ mindset and mapping the future of the leadership journey
Tips and strategies on how to leverage leadership mastery to increase the attraction and retention of top talent
Inspiring ideas that can be put into immediate action to increase employee motivation and engagement
Practical daily actions to help leaders feel energized and to help their teams to be inspired and excited to create the future of work

The Future of Work Is Now – Are You Ready?

What will leaders and their teams have to do to thrive today and beyond the year 2030? Today’s challenges include ongoing global change, technological innovation, and fast-changing workplace dynamics.

Employee engagement, creating future-ready leaders, attracting and retaining top talent are all elements that are rapidly changing and impacting the way we work and how we need to change to meet the challenges of the future workplace today.

This keynote will provide researched global business insights, thought-provoking, creative, leading-edge ideas and strategies on how leaders can take immediate action to increase team buy-in, adaptability and execution NOW as we head towards 2030.

Attendees will leave this session with:

A look at the trends and technologies shaping the future workplace today
Ideas for leaders and their teams to adapt their personality style and leadership style to the fast-changing workplace
“How” to successfully work with and engage the multiple generations in the workplace
Insights into how leaders need to adapt to the ever-changing reality of worker attitudes and shifting attitudes on loyalty, job satisfaction and how work is done
Mindset model on how to navigate the fast pace of change as we head to the future of work
Research on the multiple intelligences needed to navigate the future of work
Case studies and examples of progressive companies and leaders on the leading edge of creating innovative future-ready workplaces
Strategies on how to get everyone on board with the overall future vision, build excitement for the company’s direction and create commitment and buy-in to taking action today and for the future
Cheryl’s style is dynamic high energy and interactive, she presents relevant research and her presentations always have fun movie clips and music. With Cheryl Cran as your keynote speaker you are guaranteed to have one of your best events ever with increased audience engagement, and an audience that leaves with easy to implement ideas as well as inspired to lead with 2030 vision to build the future workplace today.

The Best Way to Create the Future is to Map It.

Are you and your leaders fully ready to proactively lead into the future of work?

Is your company poised to jump on opportunities and to innovate at the speed of change in the workplace?

Is your industry disrupting the status quo or being disrupted?

Do you have the right people with the right technology in the workplace that can quickly deliver extraordinary value to your clients and teams?

Many disruptions including government shifts, global disasters, mergers and acquisitions, artificial intelligence, robotics, and changing worker attitudes are causing the need for leaders to be able to map the future of work for their company and their teams.

The type of leadership that is needed during these fast-paced times is the ability to flex in times of flux. Agility, adaptability, and innovation are key attributes that will help leaders to drive the change and transformation needed to get to the future of work.

This future of work keynote provides insights into the future of work and strategies to proactively map the future as a leader. Dynamic ideas and creative approaches to help build future-ready leadership that drives transformation towards the future of work.

Attendees will leave this session with:

Insights on the impact of AI and robotics on your industry locally and globally
A bi-modal model on how to leverage the best of what’s working now with data from future trends research
Case studies of organizations that have successfully mapped their future by being on top of trends and future of work
How to harness the ‘people first’ principle of future workplaces and a look at leaders who have leveraged technology to enable extraordinary value for clients and employee experience
A ‘what needs to change’ and ‘what will never change’ checklist to help prioritize strategic actions towards the future of work
Inspiration, ideas and a ‘map’ of the future for self/teams/business that can be put into practical application right away
NextMapping™ model and steps to create your future for self/business

Future Ready Teams - How to Create Agile, Adaptable & Innovative Teams

Are your teams unified in vision, focus, and purpose?

Are your teams able to collaborate, innovate and adapt to rapid change in the workplace?

Do your teams leverage technology to improve client and employee experience?

This future of teams’ keynote provides dynamic insights into the future of teams and how team structure is morphing to meet the real-time disruptions and demands of a fast-changing world. Research shows that small teams with highly motivated and engaged individuals can innovate and execute very quickly. The impact on business with high performing teams is faster ideas to market, nimble solutions for client experience and ultimately competitive advantage.

Attendees will leave this session with:

The latest research on team dynamics needed for the future of work
Statistics and data on the best future of work structure of a team, the best mix of personalities, aptitudes and more
Strategies for team members to build a ‘me to we’ future of work attitude
A mindset model on how to shift towards a ‘shared leadership’ team culture
Ideas on how to cross collaborate, break down silos and innovate across the business
How to create agile, adaptable and innovative teams
Inspiration and plans to ‘map out’ what’s next for your teams to be future of work-ready

The Future of Attracting & Keeping Top Talent

95% of companies surveyed cite a big focus for the future is finding and keeping top talent in the age of robotics, remote workers and increasing competition.

Fortune 500 CEOs surveyed state that even with the age of robotics they are planning to continue to seek and hire talented people well into 2020 and beyond. The competition for attracting top talent is increasing, and as quickly as people are being hired and trained in other industries are approaching and poaching talent. Also, the increase in freelance and entrepreneur opportunities for millennials is making the talent search even more challenging.

What can companies do? What do leaders need to do to win the war for talent?

In this keynote, you will learn how to map out a strategy and plan on how to attract top talent and how to retain them for longer than average time frames.

Attendees will leave this session with:

The latest research for your industry on future trends regarding attracting and retaining top talent
Insights into the current reality of finding and keeping good people the stats and the best practices
Innovative ideas on finding the right people that are suited for your industry
Creative ideas and examples from global companies winning the war for talent
The top ten ‘attractors’ of what top talent want when looking to work for a company
How to be a company that ‘attracts’ talent, including having transformational leaders and creating a culture that focuses on shared leadership
The number one reason people leave an employer and how to fix it
A greater understanding of why investing in recruiting alone is a no-win approach
Creative solutions that you can put into place right away to increase your wins in attracting and keeping top talent

The Art of Change Leadership – Driving Transformation In a Fast-Paced World

This change leadership keynote is for everyone because “everyone is a leader!”

Everyone in the workplace is working in times of intense technological innovation and dealing with ongoing rapid change and disruptions. The key is how to inspire and engage everyone to be ‘leaders of change’ and to dynamically increase innovation, collaboration and success for everyone in the company and the business overall. This keynote focuses on how each individual can harness their inner abilities to lead change and personal leadership positively and proactively. This keynote is based on Cheryl’s book “The Art of Change Leadership” (Wiley 2015)

Attendees will leave this session with:

Further insight into how is fast change is impacting the speed of work and how we as leaders need to build adaptability to the new reality
A shifted perspective on how we as individuals can harness positive stress and leverage time in an increasingly fast-paced work environment
A clear understanding of how each generation views change deals with change and strategies to improve change responses and actions
The change cycle and how to use this model to lead change for self and others
Insight into their change behaviors and tools to leverage their individual ability to adapt more quickly to ongoing change with a positive approach
Tools to lead change with multiple perspectives including emotional intelligence, generation intelligence, and energetic intelligence
A change leadership ‘next map’ that will outline your next steps to creating the future that you want to create

*VIRTUAL- The Future of Hybrid Teams

Hybrid teams are here to stay, research shows that virtual work and WFA (work from anywhere) is going to increase. Leaders and teams have been navigating this new reality throughout the pandemic. The future requires leaders and teams to be able to successfully navigate the nuances of a hybrid workplace reality.

There is a continued shortage of workers and we are firmly in a workers market. This means that it's a new world of work. Leaders are leading in unprecedented times and all workers are asking themselves big questions about what it means to work, and how they want to work in the future.

In this keynote attendees will learn:

• Future of ‘all things’ research that reveals the social trends impacting the future of work
• Insights into the trends that are shaping what the now and future workplace
• How to leverage patterns in human behavior to increase team synergy in a hybrid workplace
• Key strategies on how to communicate and collaborate in a virtual team environment to break down silos
• New ways to engage teams in a hybrid culture
• The ‘future ready’ skills that ALL workers need to develop to increase agility and adaptability
• How to use the ‘adaptability scale’ to see where you are and how you can ’ self-coach’ to greater flexibility
• Actionable takeaways that can be applied right away in your everyday work and life

Testimonials

Excellent. Thank you! And thanks again for the great presentation, podcast and spark session. I have gotten tons of positive feedback on all. Thanks again!
– H. Wetzel, Sr. Director Marketing and Member Communications – NRECA
Great workshop on future ready organizations and future ready leaders! Together, let’s change the “me” mindset to a “we” mindset! I’m very grateful for the knowledge you shared during the workshop. I cannot wait to read your books!
– BMO Future of Work Event Attendee
Cheryl your keynote on, “Change Leadership & The Future of Work,” was perfect for our group of leaders and for all of our global partners. Our team was thrilled to have you in the Las Vegas head office and we had numerous positive feedback from everyone on-site and from the live stream participants. We saw a lot of Twitter discussion about some of your strategies on change leadership and the future such as ‘learnerships’ and breaking down silos. We all wished we had more time with you! Let’s stay in touch for future collaborations – thanks again.
– Global Senior Manager, Quality – Aristocrat Technologies
Cheryl was our opening keynote speaker for our Innovation Unplugged Skills Summit in Toronto. From our first conversation it was obvious that Cheryl was very knowledgeable in the Future of Work and took the time to understand the objectives of our organization and our event. Her presentation was engaging and informative and set up the rest of our day perfectly. We had a diverse audience which included secondary school students, educators, industry experts and government officials. Everyone took something away from Cheryl’s speech and commented on the power of the presentation in their feedback comments. I would welcome working with Cheryl again in the future.
– Namir Anani – ICTC President and CEO
I really enjoyed your keynote speech. I was captivated right away and loved the interaction. Most of all, your passion for the future in work and business made your presentation even more unforgettable. Please let me know about future events and projects in which you have involvement in. I would love to hear you speak more about innovation and tech. It was truly a pleasure to hear you speak. I hope we meet, in the near future.
– Grade 9 Guest – ICTC Innovation Summit
Cheryl was our opening keynote speaker for our annual AGA National Leadership Training and she was phenomenal! Her keynote was titled, “The Art of Change Leadership – How to Flex in Flux” and her message was truly timely and of high value to our participants. We received overwhelming positive feedback from our group about Cheryl’s dynamic delivery style, the polling and Q&A interaction, and the survey she sent to participants to get to know her audience and customize her presentation. Cheryl’s opening keynote started our conference off with huge energy – we loved the videos and the music that got everyone excited for the rest of the day.
– J. Bruce, Director of Meetings, AGA
Cheryl Cran was our keynote speaker for our annual leadership event and in a word she was outstanding. Cheryl’s unique perspective on the future of work and what is needed for companies to be on the leading edge brought tremendous value for our group. She spent time consulting with myself and the leadership team on our distinct culture and how to leverage what we were already doing well. Our leaders gave two thumbs up for Cheryl’s delivery style which was fast paced, direct and dynamic. In addition, the leaders really enjoyed that Cheryl joined us for our evening social. What I found very valuable as CEO of the company was the survey before event that she incorporated into her keynote as well as the real time polling and texting which really engaged our discerning group of leaders. Cheryl didn’t just talk about the future and trends she actually gave us the change leadership tools to create our next level of success.
– B. Batz, CEO, Fike
Cheryl Cran is the Genuine ‘Real Deal’ There is no better motivational speaker, generational psychology expert, and change leadership mentor than Cheryl Cran. Cheryl is totally credible, sincere, transparent, and endearing as she relates her life experiences to today’s business and work situations. I have no reservations in recommending her to any Fortune 100 company who is dealing with radical change in their workforce. The world would be a much better place if they followed Cheryl’s advice and recommendations on hope to relate to others and how to cope.
– C. Lee, President, Raytheon Employee Association

Booksby Cheryl Cran

Next Mapping

The Art of Change Leadership

101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work

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Blog Posts

 

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