Curt Coffman

Independent Researcher, Author, Consultant, and Specialist in Hospitality Culture, Talent, Engagement, Selection/Development and Retention

Topics: Customer Experience, Leadership, Business Leadership, Business, Business Growth, Innovation, Corporate Culture

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Biography

Now an independent researcher, author, speaker and consultant, Curt Coffman spent 22 years at The Gallup Organization and served as its Global Practice Leader for employee and customer engagement consulting. Coffman has consulted with many Fortune 100 and 500 companies, and his work has spanned the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His mission is to help organizations understand the key characteristics of a positive, productive, customer-oriented work environment. His research and consulting insights help organizations measure and manage workplace and customer conditions that show linkage to business outcomes.

In the past 10 years, Coffman has presented to thousands of groups on the topic of creating great places to work and their impact on individuals, families, organizational growth and creating engaged customers. His research and thoughts have been published in BusinessWeek, Chief Executive magazine, CIO Magazine, The Economist, Fast Company, Fortune, the Harvard Business Review, the Harvard Management Update, Inc. magazine, the International Journal of Management Reviews, Microsoft Executive Circle, The New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Business Today (India). With John Fleming and Jim Harter, Coffman recently published an article on Gallup’s HumanSigma model, a management approach that assesses, manages, and improves the quality of the employee-customer encounter, in the Harvard Business Review (July/August, 2005).

Coffman is the coauthor of one of the bestselling management books of all time, First, Break All the Rules: What the World?s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Simon & Schuster, 1999). Now in its 40th printing, First, Break All the Rules has been translated into 22 languages and has appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and USA Today. Coffman is also the coauthor of Follow This Path: How the World’s Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential (Warner Books, 2002). Follow This Path has been translated into 15 languages and has appeared on several international bestseller lists.

Coffman lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Tammy, and three children, Katie, Claire, and Clayton.

Videos

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

FIRST BREAK ALL THE RULES

What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
By Curt Coffman & Marcus Buckingham

Great managers break the rules of conventional management wisdom.

Select people based upon talent not experience, skills and knowledge
Focus people through clarity of desired outcomes, not steps or process
Motivate people through the discovery of strengths versus fixing weaknesses
Creating growth by finding the right "fit" between the person's talents and demands of the role
Get really close to people and believe a relationship is what creates performance
Play favorites and spend most of their time with the most productive people
These are just a few of the discoveries made from the study of over 250,000 managers/leaders and what distinguishes the best from the rest.

CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR LUNCH

creating culture as your competitive advantage
By Curt Coffman & Dr. Kathie Sorensen

There are three critical levels of great cultures:

MacroCulture - leaders who are "more interested than interesting," always painting a compelling vision, set the right strategy with the right people and are the ambassadors of the future.
MicroCulture - local team members who create the right outcomes and determine the success of key initiatives and strategy. Members feel a charge to "create positive and personal energy in one another," that is driven by quality relationships built on trust and pressure to achieve.
BridgeCulture - the managers who are always "connecting people to a purpose," and creating a "line-of-sight" to how every person/role creates value through attracting and keeping customers (the only way organizations can build growth).
Top cultures from big to small (Google, Zappos, and Nordstrom to the local grocery store, restaurant or coffee shop) have some key characteristics in common.

Some are:

Specific about the practices, rituals and even "weirdness’s" that distinguish their culture
Have sticky values like "paranoid collaboration," "bad news fast," "fearless," etc.
Examine and move from excellence, when you study average, you get average
Know precisely their "religion" and their "science"
Move decisions as close to the action as possible
Everyone sees how what they do both attracts and keeps customers

CREATING A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE JUST CAN'T WAIT TO COME TO WORK EVERY DAY:

From the study of over 1 million employees and what attracts, keeps and energizes them…

Having a clear focus, great manager, right talent and quality relationships (good friends) are the keys to personal and professional success.

Individuals want to be part of a team that has high standards and expectations to achieve the success they never even thought possible. They are constantly raising the bar for themselves and others through tracking personal bests and encouraging pressure to perform from team members. Having best friends at work is a driver of accountability and work-life balance.

People leave managers not companies. Great managers are the foundation of great organizations. How we select, focus and recognize managers can be the best predictor of results. Great managers of people have strange practices like playing favorites of high performers, getting very close to the people that report to them, firing people faster than bad managers out of genuine respect for the person and customizing plans to fit the needs of each person.

Testimonials

Curt Coffman has served as the thought architect for Ritz-Carlton’s new ‘Service Values,’ which has been cited as one of our organization’s most important change initiatives by executives, general managers and Ladies and Gentlemen alike. Curt’s presentations have received rave reviews and he has been the highest rated speaker at our international general manager’s conference.

– John Timmerman Vice President - Quality, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

Curt spent the day at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center meeting with a senior manager, delivering a keynote to 200+ attendees, and then leading a small group conversation in the afternoon. It was clear that Curt has a depth of expertise on culture change. What stood out the most was his facility with storytelling and how well he integrated that approach with hard facts and statistics. Research indicates that people best remember information conveyed to them in the form of a story. Curt’s input is helpful to organizations seeking to make the case for the “softer” skills. Also notable, was Curt’s warmth and approachability. Attendees commented on the fact that Curt is a great listener and made it easy for people to ask questions and engage with him, both in the keynote and small conversation format.

– Gail S. Williams Emeritus, Leadership Colloquia Series, NASA

Customers are willing to pay a premium for strong brands. Strong brands are the result of employees and the cultures they create. Curt Coffman brings the clear direction necessary to understand and capitalize on these realities."

– Matthew F. Gonzales Corporate Manager- Organizational Development, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A

Curt’s contribution to our event was both memorable and impactful. Attendees were unanimous in ranking Curt as the best session of the day. We look forward to having him back.

– Ronald Balmer Principal & Clobal Practice Leader - Client Experience, Greenwich Associates

Booksby Curt Coffman

First, Break All The Rules

Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

Follow This Path

For Meeting Planners

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Blog Posts

Unlocking a Magic Mindset and Your Audience’s Awe of Christophe Fox

Think magic is just smoke and mirrors? Think again. Christophe Fox transforms events into unforgettable experiences through magic and interactive engagement.

Designing Events That Captivate and Convert Beyond Venue and Swag

Learn how intentional design—innovation, inclusion, and neuroscience—powers unforgettable event engagement and lasting impact.

Crafting Personalized Health & Self‑Care Practices with Johnny Crowder

Everywhere you turn, someone is talking about health and self‑care rituals. Keynote speaker Johnny Crowder shares why true self‑care is not one‑size‑fits‑all.

Elevate Your Event With These Skills: Insights from Gabriella Robuccio

Think event planning is all about checklists and timetables? Think again. Emmy‑winning strategist Gabriella Robuccio shares more on The Keynote Curators Podcast.