Tony Chatman

Tony Chatman

Tony has worked with hundreds of corporations and government agencies including the U.S. Secret Service, Chase Bank, Estée Lauder, N.O.A.A. and N.A.S.A. to help people reach new heights of effectiveness by understanding themselves and others better. As a leadership keynote speaker, his passion is contagious, and his message provides practical, usable knowledge that people implement immediately for business and personal success. Tony’s ability to help leaders, team members, and people from every background and diversity adopt empowering mindsets and strategies that allow them to adapt, reinvent, and transform the results they produce both personally and professionally. Recognized for his stage presence and intensity, Tony delivers the kind of results that consistently garner outstanding and enthusiastic reviews. His profound ability to connect with every audience member ensures they come away feeling that he spoke directly to them and impacted by his message.

Tony was only the second African American to receive a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University’s prestigious Paper Science and Technology School. Upon completion of his degree, Tony worked for a number of years as a chemical engineer for a Fortune 500 company. It was during this phase of his life that he had a life changing interaction with an at-risk youth. This moment left such profound impression on him that he left both his corporate career (while nearing the completion of his first patent) and his graduate studies at the University of Chicago to work in the non-profit sector with the desire to make an impact on the communities around him. It was this work, which often included counseling groups and individuals that led Tony to begin studying human behavior with the intent or understanding what makes people tick, excel, and change.

Tony Chatman delivers presentations that are an entertaining and impassioned balance of both science and practical insight. Tony breaks down tough topics such as unconscious bias, change management and leadership. He creates a new, stronger foundation for true leadership. Audiences leave focused and motivated to turn individual differences into business advantages.

Currently, Tony serves as a board member for the Captain Phillips Lane Kirkland Maritime Trust.

Tony recently completed his first book: The Force Multiplier: How to Lead Teams Where Everyone Wins and in 2018 he delivered his first TEDx talk – How to Stop Settling for Less.

Most Requested Programs

Breaking Bias – Disrupting Unconscious Decisions That Lead to Unexpected Consequences
Study after study show that increased Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) correlates with increased organizational productivity, retention, innovation, and resilience. Yet historically, most organization’s efforts to address DEI have neither improved DEI nor produced the desired benefits. Policy changes, accountability, diversity training; none of them reached their desired results. Why? Because they failed to address unconscious bias. Any effort to address DEI without addressing bias, especially unconscious bias, is doomed to failure. Bias that goes beyond race and gender. Bias with the potential to permeate every decision leadership makes, often without ever realizing it.

So how do you uncover unconscious bias without destroying morale and performance? That’s where Unconscious Bias Expert and Keynote Speaker Tony Chatman comes in. In this program, we will explore human thinking shortcuts—what they are, how they occur, and why they may be causing us to have biased reactions that we don’t intend or notice. We will look at ways we can reduce our own unconscious biases, while also looking at ways we can change our business practices to minimize the impact of cognitive bias without playing the blame game.

Tony will help you uncover the strategies to create a culture that attracts the best and the brightest – and keep them. In this powerful and insightful session your team will learn how to:

Your team will learn how to:

  • Create clarity about unconscious bias blind spots which affect behavior and decisions
  • Apply three simple mind hacks to neutralize personal bias and its effects
  • Remove the stigma around bias that mutes constructive conversation
  • Identify the impact of bias on co-worker and customer relationship
  • Prevent or reduce the consequence of bias in order to create a truly inclusive workplace

Invite Tony in to your next leadership event and help your leadership team not only ensure that bias isn’t interfering with your organization’s success – but help them sleep better at night knowing they’ve got the tools they need to lead in today’s diverse world.

Deliberately Leading Through the Disruption of Change
Life, and business, comes at us fast in today’s world. New technology. Different rules. Increased processes. Longer hours. Shorter breaks. A battle between new practices and “old habits”. Room for wasted time? Non-existent – right? That’s the lens of disruption through which most leaders garner their perspective.
Leadership Keynote Speaker Tony Chatman helps leaders shift that viewpoint. With empowering transition and transformation tools, and solution-fueled strategies based in human psychology, leaders will learn:

  • The hidden secret to creating buy-in and consensus (and eliminating the past habits that hold you back)
  • How to identify and embrace change as the opportunity and leverage it is to leave fear in the dust and skyrocket past your competitors
  • What every leader needs to know about turning saboteurs into surrogates and adversaries in to advocates
    Deliver the tools your leadership team needs to deal with disruption and leverage change for all it’s worth. Invite Tony Chatman to your next leadership event.

The Force Multiplier
Great leaders are _____. What would you use to fill in the blank? Collaborative? Conscious of their ability and responsibility to influence others in positive and powerful ways? Conscientious about developing and maintaining a culture and atmosphere where people feel safe, heard, and appreciated to a degree that they WANT to contribute, can’t WAIT to work together, and KNOW how integral they are to the success of the organization? Yes – to all of the above.

How do they get there? With real-world, psychology-based strategies and insights into what it takes to multiply their “force”. Their influence through actions and words that elevate individuals to perform at their highest potential not just willingly, but eagerly. That how-to’s for doing just that is what Leadership Keynote Speaker Tony Chatman delivers.

With fresh insights, proven tools, and an extraordinary ability to provide the practical roadmap today’s leaders need, Tony teaches audiences to:

  • Rise to the challenge of leading through change and diversity
  • Respond effectively and expertly to shifting economies and market disruptors
  • Build trust, loyalty, and a culture of collaboration amongst team members
  • Transform adversaries into allies
  • Empower every team member to rise to their fullest potential

From the front line to the executive corner office – everyone has the ability to multiply their influence and become the kind of force that drives not only results, but brings people together. Invite Tony in to share “the force” with your team.

Stop Settling 4 Less – Moving from the Hand You’re Dealt to the Life You Want
One day you sit down and think, “This isn’t where I thought I’d be in life right now. I expected to do so much more. To be so much more.” And you should have, but somewhere, things changed and you traded in the life for which you were designed for the life your circumstances defined. Tony completely gets it. At the age of 40, he looked at his life, and the direction he was headed and he made a simple decision. He decided that It’s time to stop settling for anything less than the life he desired, the life he deserved. Now it’s your turn.

This program can be the first step to a whole new life. It will help to ignite your inner passion and fuel your success. You will shake off the hurts of the past and dare to dream again and rediscover your limitless potential. Yet, this is not just about motivation and inspiration. You will receive practical tools and techniques that will immediately improve the quality of your life. You will leave transformed, headed towards a life of success and leaving a legacy for future generations.

Tony Chatman will share how to:

  • Discover strategies to detoxify your life of negative influences and people
  • Develop a mindset of success instead of expecting others to make you great
  • Free yourself from the hurts, failures and experiences of the past that cause self doubt
  • Learn to view stepping out of your comfort zone as an adventure instead of as a risk

Take control of your life and help others do the same. Begin your personal transformation, remove hindering roadblocks, and never settle for less than the live you’ve imagined again. Invite Tony Chatman to your next event today.

Testimonials

"I had the pleasure of observing one of Tony's trainings. As someone who now sits in countless online events, trainings, seminars and meetings, I can honestly say that Tony's presentation stands out as the most engaging I have seen. His ability to include all attendees, generate excitement and genuine participation was incredible." - Online Events Consultant, Zoom

Tony is a Rockstar! I could end it there, honestly, but to give more context, he is an amazing speaker, engaged our entire company, gave us a safe space to learn and collaborate, and left us more aware than we were coming into the presentation. Unconscious Bias is so important, yet it is such a sensitive topic that requires a certain type of finesse that Tony has mastered. We appreciate his time to come out and help educate us all and look forward to working with him in the future. I am not sure that we could have asked for a better presentation or speaker! Thanks for all you do! - Sade Slaughter, Diversity & Inclusion Vice Chair., Indiana Health Information Chair

“I have taken 7 leadership courses in the last 3 years (including The 4 Roles of Leadership) and this was the best” - Johnnie Powell, National Weather Service

“Your remarks inspired our audience to both make their dreams reality and claim ownership for their actions, despite the outcome. Your unique message and conversational style were effective tools that will certainly resonate in the minds of our audiences.” - Kier Maxwell, Ph.D., United States Secret Service

“I changed my whole life as a result of hearing a compelling message by Tony Chatman. His lessons and approach are unforgettable.” - Donna Sims-Wilson, President, Smith Graham & Co. Investment Advisors L.P

“Forced to Attend, Unwilling to Leave” - Anonymous Attendee