Biography

John Michael works with clients to help them create and unlock customized leadership development opportunities for their organizations, communities, and causes. His work draws from his experiences as an entrepreneur, artist, producer, and educator.

For four years, Schert served as the inaugural Visiting Artist and Social Entrepreneur at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he studied and lectured on the utility of the creative process, how the skills and behaviors of creatives can be of relevance and value to other sectors. He is the founding principal of the creative leadership consultancy JMS & Company, an executive producer of Boise’s B Corp-certified Treefort Music Fest, and founder of the American Ballet Theatre Leadership Lab.

He began his career as a dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. In 2004, he co-founded Trey McIntyre Project (TMP), serving as the company’s Executive Director and a dancer for nine years. During that time, Schert gained a unique insight into the process and product of art-making, which has led him to become a sought-after national arts leader and speaker focusing on the evolving role of artists in American society.

Schert is a recipient of the USA Eisenhower Fellowship 2019. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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Videos

What can leaders learn from artists? | John Michael Schert

Moving Through Uncertainty Teaser

Ada Lovelace Festival 2022: Moving through Uncertainty

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Moving Through Uncertainty

In times of unrest, reshuffling, and (re)alignment, on an individual, collective, and systemic level, we look for navigation, reasoning, and a new moral compass. Instead of staying in existing patterns for the sake of comfort and safety, how can we step into—and become—the unknown, balancing the edge and the precarious, tapping into our intuition, improvisation, somatic intelligence, and “making artful” choices to progress forward?

JMS & Company (JMSCo) offers an in-person embodied experience, utilizing the adaptive leadership framework, combined with the creative choice-making skill of dance artists.

Through this experience, JMSCo aids clients in diagnosing the adaptive challenges they currently face, internally and externally,
and helps them build novel patterns and norms to exercise leadership.

Blog Posts

Event Planning AI Revolution Transforms How Professionals Create Seamless Experiences

AI keynote speaker Kate O'Neill share event planning strategies that can help professionals streamline workflows while preserving human connection.

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Persuasion Without Pressure: Why Service-Based Influence Wins Every Time

People resist persuasion but crave great service. Learn how to influence through assistance, not manipulation, with proven strategies from Dan Pink.

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Team Energy Solutions That Transform Workplace Culture with Judi Holler

Discover proven team energy strategies from keynote speaker Judi Holler that transform workplace culture and unlock your team's creative potential.

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How Event Professionals Can Recover from Burnout Without Sacrificing Success

Learn how event pros can build mental resilience and prevent workplace exhaustion with these proven burnout recovery strategies.

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Why Human Connection Drives Real Change

Change keynote speaker April Rinne discussing human-centered change strategies that go beyond listing what you want to transform in your life.

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AI Strategies to Increase Productivity According to Lisa Bodell

Learn AI productivity strategies from innovation keynote speaker Lisa Bodell to automate routine tasks and reclaim time for creative work.

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