Ryan Gottfredson
- Leadership Development Professor & Consultant
- Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Success Mindsets, The Elevated Leader, and Becoming Better
Travels From
California
How to Fix Leadership Development | Ryan Gottfredson | TEDxColeParkStudio
Ryan Gottfredson Speaker Biography
Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership, The Elevated Leader: Leveling Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development, and Becoming Better: The Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation.
He is the founder and owner of his consulting company, Ryan Gottfredson LLC, where he specializes in elevating leaders and executive teams in a manner that elevates the organization and its culture. He has worked with top leadership teams at CVS Health (top 130 leaders), Deutsche Telekom (500+ of their top 2,000 leaders), Experian, and others. He has also partnered with dozens of organizations (e.g., Federal Reserve Bank, Nationwide Insurance, Cook Medical) to develop thousands of mid-level managers and high-level leaders.
He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University, and a B.A. from Brigham Young University. As a respected authority and researcher on topics related to leadership, management, and organizational behavior, Ryan has published over 20 articles across a variety of journals including: Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Business Horizons, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, and Journal of Leadership Studies. His research has been cited over 4,600 times since 2019.
Emotional Intelligence 3.0: Rewiring the Inner Operating System of Leadership
Emotional intelligence is essential for leading in today’s fast-paced, pressure-filled world. Yet while most professionals recognize its importance, few know how to truly elevate it in meaningful, lasting ways. In this eye-opening keynote, Dr. Ryan Gottfredson—Wall Street Journal best-selling author and leading expert in vertical development—introduces Emotional Intelligence 3.0, a next-level framework that uncovers the real key to transformation: emotional intelligence isn’t something you do; it’s something you’re wired for. If leaders want to grow in their emotional intelligence, they must awaken to and upgrade the internal operating system that governs how they see, process, and relate to the world around them. Drawing from cutting-edge neuroscience and his groundbreaking research on mindsets and leadership, Ryan equips audiences with the insights and tools to rewire themselves—unlocking deeper emotional agility, stronger connection, and more powerful leadership.
The Overlooked Secret to Elevating Your Leaders? Help Them Heal from Their Past Trauma
Do you have leaders who micromanage, constantly put out fires, or struggle to navigate complexity? Most do—and most don’t realize why. These challenges aren’t just performance issues; they’re often signs of deeper, unaddressed trauma. Research shows that nearly 80% of people have experienced trauma that has rewired their body’s internal operating system—causing them to lead from self-protection rather than value creation. In this powerful and eye-opening keynote, Dr. Ryan Gottfredson—PhD, Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and global expert in vertical development—helps leaders and organizations uncover the hidden driver of ineffective leadership. He guides audiences to understand (1) how past pain shapes current leadership struggles, (2) the current level of sophistication they’re operating from, and (3) how to heal their minds, bodies, and hearts so they can lead with greater clarity, agility, and impact. The path to elevated leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about healing what’s holding them back.
ADHD and Leadership: Turning a Hidden Challenge into a Superpower
ADHD is far more prevalent in the workplace than most realize—and often goes undetected. In fact, research suggests that up to 80% of adults with ADHD don’t know they have it. While ADHD can fuel creativity, energy, and bold thinking, when left unaddressed, it can also create chaos, impulsivity, and emotional reactivity—placing a hard ceiling on a leader’s effectiveness. In this eye-opening and empowering keynote, Dr. Ryan Gottfredson—PhD, Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and expert in vertical development—helps audiences understand the surprising impact of undiagnosed ADHD on leadership. He breaks down the unique benefits and drawbacks of ADHD, shares the key signals leaders should watch for, and provides practical guidance for turning ADHD into an asset rather than a liability. Leaders will walk away with a new lens for understanding their inner world—and the tools to harness their neurodiverse wiring as a true leadership advantage.
