Most of us can point to something we delivered that met every requirement and still missed the point. The requests were documented. The signoffs were collected. The business problem stayed right where it was.
That outcome rarely comes from a lack of skill. It comes from routine. Pressure to move fast, hesitation to challenge a stakeholder, and processes that worked last time all pull toward documenting what people ask for instead of surfacing what the organization needs.
In this interactive keynote, Darren Mann draws on 15 years of leading complex, high-risk initiatives to show how to break that pattern. He covers the questions that get to root causes, the way experienced professionals reframe changing requirements and setbacks, and how to build the kind of influence that does not depend on a title.
YOU'LL LEAVE WITH
- A way to recognize the routines and limiting beliefs that keep your work at the documentation layer
- Courageous questions that surface root causes instead of symptoms
- A practical reframe for shifting requirements, setbacks, and uncertainty
- Communication habits that build influence with stakeholders when you hold no formal authority
- Tools you can use in your next conversation, not next quarter
⏰ 6:30–7:00 PM CDT Networking | 7:00–8:00 PM CDT Session
💻 Virtual
🎟 Free — registration required
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Darren Mann has spent more than 15 years leading complex, high-risk initiatives across higher education, healthcare, insurance, and the public sector, where speed and risk make it easy to stop asking hard questions. That work gave him a close view of the difference between teams that capture what they are told and teams that change what gets decided. He now works as a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and John Maxwell Certified Coach, Speaker and Trainer, helping people build the confidence and communication skills to influence outcomes without formal authority. He brings real stories from those initiatives and tools participants can apply immediately.
