The DNA of Leadership: Building Genuine Relationships

Leadership is at the heart of business success; yet, according to the World Economic Forum, we face a global leadership crisis. In addition, according to the US News & World Report/Harris Poll (November 2023), 78% of Americans believe we’re facing a leadership crisis in corporate America, and 86% say they're largely disappointed by leaders in our society.

Leadership is deceptively simple. Simple doesn’t mean easy. Leadership isn’t theoretical; it’s personal. It involves real people, genuine emotions, and real consequences.

I believe that leadership isn’t about power—it’s about people. Loyalty, support, guidance, and empathy aren’t just buzzwords to me; they’re the foundation of how I've led for nearly four decades (with a 90+% retention rate). I've seen business landscapes shift and evolve, and through it all, I've stayed true to a simple truth: treat your team right, and the results will follow.

You will learn that the basis for leadership success is your ability in:

1. Building Real Relationships - The How and Why

2. Exhibit Sincere Empathy - What is Real Empathy

3. Inspire and Motivate Your Teams - Realize your team is not your competition

Leadership is —and will always be —about humans.

Leading with Heart: The Power of Emotional Intelligence

Leadership today is not just cognitive — it is deeply emotional. Teams don’t only respond to what leaders say; they respond to how leaders show up. Emotional intelligence is not “soft.” It is a measurable leadership capability associated with performance, retention, and trust.

Ready to lead with greater impact? This powerful session shows how emotionally intelligent leaders build trust, boost engagement, and thrive under pressure. Walk away with practical tools to lead with empathy, clarity, and confidence—when it matters most.

In this session, you will:

•  Identify the Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills needed to develop emotional intelligence in leaders.

•   Strategies to improve leaders’ self-awareness, in turn improving their team’s engagement and productivity.

•   Develop the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply emotions as a source of leadership, communication and influence.

•   Cultivate the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people and the skill in responding according to their emotions.

•   Emerging competencies that might be important to develop in leaders.

•   Understand how Emotional Intelligence (EI) influences the way they respond to others and themselves.

•   How to Lead When the Pressure’s On

•   Strategies for tapping into Human Potential, Unlocking Trust, Connection, and Inclusion

Humanizing Authority: Why Maturity is Leadership's Non-Negotiable Requirement

In a world where leadership is often defined by titles, performance metrics, and visible results, one defining factor is too often overlooked: maturity. Not age. Not tenure. But emotional, relational, and personal maturity—the kind that determines how a leader shows up under pressure, treats people when no one is watching, and makes decisions that impact lives, not just numbers.

In this keynote, Humanizing Authority: Why Maturity is Leadership’s Non-Negotiable Requirement, William Davis draws from nearly four decades of executive leadership experience to reveal a truth many organizations miss: the success or failure of leadership is not rooted in intelligence, charisma, or strategy—it is rooted in the character and maturity of the leader.

Through real-world insight, practical frameworks, and a deeply human-centered approach, this session challenges leaders to look beyond performance and examine the core of who they are. Attendees will gain a new lens for evaluating leadership, learn how to identify the root causes of leadership failure, and walk away with actionable strategies to grow in emotional intelligence, accountability, humility, and authentic human connection.

Because at the end of the day, leadership is not about authority over people—it is about responsibility for people. And that responsibility demands maturity.

Speech Objectives

1. Reveal Maturity as the Core of Leadership Success - To demonstrate that emotional and relational maturity is the foundational differentiator between effective and ineffective leaders—not just skills, intelligence, or charisma.

2. Diagnose the Root Cause of Leadership Failures - To help audiences identify the real reasons behind poor leadership performance, drawing from real-world insights and nearly four decades of executive-level experience.

3. Empower Leaders to Cultivate Personal Growth - To provide actionable strategies for developing maturity as a leadership competency—emphasizing personal accountability, humility, emotional intelligence, and human connection.

Audience Outcomes

1. New Lens on Leadership Assessment - Attendees will walk away with a fresh and powerful framework for evaluating leaders—focusing not only on what leaders do, but who they are at their core.

2. Practical Tools for Self and Team Development - Participants will gain tools to assess and grow their own maturity as leaders, as well as techniques to mentor and elevate team members beyond performance metrics.

3. Greater Confidence in Building Human-Centered Cultures - Leaders will feel equipped to lead with authenticity, empathy, and maturity—creating cultures where trust, respect, and accountability drive long-term success.