Duncan Stevens Inspires 80 Saint-Gobain Leaders to Collaborate and Innovate
With Duncan Stevens, behavioural psychologist, keynote speaker and best-selling author
OUTCOME 1
80 leaders, one plan
Operational leaders left with a shared purpose and a sharper focus on collaborating and innovating together.
OUTCOME 2
Silos to shared goals
Leaders began to see collaboration as a daily habit that drives innovation, not just an occasional project.
OUTCOME 3
Put to work same day
Several principles were well received and used by the team the same day, so ideas turned into action fast.
THE CHALLENGE
Saint-Gobain needed 80 operational leaders pulling together to collaborate and innovate.
Leaders in Saint-Gobain’s Bio Process Solutions business were used to solving problems site by site, while the pressure to innovate faster kept rising. Kannan Narasimhan, Global Operations Director, wanted all 80 of them working as one team, and he spoke to several guest speakers before he connected with Duncan.
He asked for a keynote that would inspire the group towards collaboration and innovation and fit the organisation’s purpose, not a stock talk they’d forget by the time lunch arrived.
DUNCAN’S SOLUTION
A flexible collaboration keynote shaped around Saint-Gobain’s purpose, with practical principles and audience involvement.
Duncan opened with a briefing call with Kannan to understand the business, the pressures leaders faced day to day and what the group needed to take away.
He then built a 60-minute keynote on collaboration and innovation, using on-stage behavioural psychology demonstrations to show why teams do their best work together. He shared a handful of practical principles leaders could try at once, and he stayed flexible so the content fitted the room.
THE RESULT
A leadership group that put Duncan’s collaboration principles to work on the day.
Kannan Narasimhan said Duncan understood Saint-Gobain’s purpose from the start and was flexible enough to build a keynote that fitted the organisation perfectly. Several of the principles landed well and his team used them the same day. In the survey, 99% of leaders said they’d recommend Duncan.
The audience survey below shows how the session landed with the people in the room.
Need your operational leaders working as one team? Check Duncan’s availability or explore his Beyond Collaboration keynote.
THOUGHTS FROM DUNCAN
Teams don’t collaborate because they’re told to. They collaborate when it feels worth the effort.
Most leaders already believe in collaboration. What gets in the way is habit, busy calendars and the pull of solving problems alone. So I start with why people naturally protect their own patch, then give them a few simple principles they can use that same day.
Kannan’s operational leaders were thoughtful, open and quick to try new ideas, and it was a pleasure to work with them. I’d love to work with them again.
HOW SAINT-GOBAIN'S LEADERS RATED DUNCAN'S COLLABORATION KEYNOTE
99% of Saint-Gobain’s operational leaders would recommend Duncan, and 96% are extremely or highly likely to use his takeaways. The words they used most to describe the keynote were practical, thought-provoking and interactive.
Survey of 80 Saint-Gobain operational leaders, completed straight after the keynote.
LIKELIHOOD TO USE DUNCAN'S TAKEAWAYS
HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO RECOMMEND DUNCAN
ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE DUNCAN’S KEYNOTE
Want your own operational leaders collaborating across sites and innovating faster? Talk to Duncan about your leadership event.
SEE WHAT OTHER CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT DUNCAN'S KEYNOTE:
“It is evident that Duncan has a passion for delivering outstanding results and look forward to partnering again!”
Jenny Tsimpouka
Events Co-ordinator, CEO Clubs Greece
“His speech was very motivational and inspirational and the entertainment part was just mind-blowing!”
Tonya Winders
CEO, GAAP Barcelona
“I would highly recommend Duncan to anyone looking for an amazing speaker who can inspire and motivate diverse audiences!”
Natasha Amurao
Event Organiser, Abu Dhabi
“His content was delivered perfectly. Exactly what we were looking for! Actionable takeaways for everybody!”
Ashleigh Goodchild
Director, PM Collective
Popular Keynote Topics
Duncan Stevens is a behavioural psychologist, high performance expert and globally recognised keynote speaker. He inspires and educates leaders and teams at conferences around the world, in person or virtually.
His award-winning keynotes cover high performance, change, collaboration and influence.
Turning High Potential Into High Performance: Duncan’s signature keynote gives leaders the behaviours and mindsets to deliver strategic goals, drive change, inspire teams and strengthen culture.
The High Performing Team Advantage: An inspiring, entertaining keynote that gives teams the tools to collaborate better, drive marginal gains, take ownership and thrive through change.
Practical strategies to navigate uncertainty, overcome resistance, build resilience and create a culture that adapts quickly when things change.
Proven strategies to break down silos, build trust, share ownership and help teams achieve more together than they ever could alone.
How to build a culture where people want to perform at their best, using the 8 Pillars of High Performance Culture.
Built on Duncan’s best-selling book Effective Influence, this talk shows audiences how to build trust, communicate with impact, shape decisions and inspire action.
Let's Work Together.
Duncan’s helped global organisations like Saint-Gobain lift their teams, their culture and their bottom-line results. Let’s do the same for your event.
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