Devon Harris, Inspirational Olympic Speaker - Capitol City Speakers Bureau

DEVON HARRIS

Original Member of the 1988 Jamaican Olympic Bobsled Team

KEYNOTE VIDEOS

KEYNOTE FEE:

$10,001 - $15,000

Keynote fee falls within this range. For exact fee, please contact us.

TRAVELS FROM:

New York

Request Availability for Devon Harris

Athletes / Sports

Inspiration

Overcoming Adversity

Peak Performance

Teamwork

"When looking for a motivational speaker for our first virtual company meeting I have to say I was feeling slightly nervous about how a motivational speaker would work virtually- would we get the same presence, excitement and inspiration that we get from speakers when we meet in person? With Devon Harris I have to say the answer is YES! Devon is a fantastic speaker - his talk was motivating, engaging and humorous and most of all it was memorable. His story is truly inspirational and the life lessons pulled through from his experience have stayed with us beyond the presentation. In fact he is often quoted by employees in other meetings since we heard him speak in January! The feedback from those that heard his presentation was amazing and I would absolutely recommend him to speak at any company engagement."

Events Director

Pharma Company

"Devon is fantastic! Our nurses LOVED him. He really took the time to know our audience of oncology nurses and spoke directly to them. Devon, we have been energized to lead with a purpose and how to truly be a positive influence to ourselves as well as others. Thank you for being so easy and fun to work with! Your passion and inspiration has definitely helped us to keep on pushing! Many of the conference participants made it a point to tell me that they thought your presentation was outstanding."

Project Manager, ONS Education

Oncology Nursing Society

"Thank you for the incredibly passionate and inspirational speech you delivered at our annual meeting. You had our attention from the start and we thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the insightful lessons you drew from your Olympic bobsled experiences. Your presentation was so well received by our managers that virtually all of them asked that you come back to speak to our lower level managers and staff. You were beyond question a big hit!"

President & CEO

Schenker Logistics

ABOUT DEVON HARRIS

As an original member of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team and captain of the 1992 and 1998 teams; 3-time Olympian, Devon Harris achieved his grand dream. His current dream is to inspire others to achieve theirs. As an international motivational keynote speaker, Devon is tapping the same energy, determination and skills that enabled him to bobsled with the best in the world and is now sparking audiences of all ages to dream big and take their “game” to the next level.

Born on Christmas Day, 1964, Devon Harris was raised in the violent ghetto environment of Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica. The greatest gift he ever received was the belief that a positive attitude and a never say die philosophy would carry him farther than a sense of injustice and a heart filled with anger. Devon Harris graduated from the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and received a Queen’s Commission in December 1985 and served in the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force until December 1992 when he retired as a Captain.

Encouraged by his commanding officer, Devon tried out for and was selected to the first Jamaican bobsled team. The team competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada and their exploits inspired the Disney blockbuster movie Cool Runnings.

The Keep On Pushing Foundation, which he founded in 2006, aims to support and enhance the education of kids in disadvantaged communities by providing practical solutions to the challenges that are preventing them from getting educated. Through the Keep On Pushing Foundation, Devon also works with Right to Play as an athlete ambassador. He supports Right to Play’s efforts in using sport and play in refugee camps around the world to enhance child development and build community capacity.

Being an ex-serviceman, Devon understands the commitment, sense of duty and sacrifices made by those who volunteer to serve. As a private citizen he is cognizant of the fact that the freedoms he enjoys are paid for by the courage and sacrifice of these men and women. As a result, he has also devoted time to visit the troops serving in the Persian Gulf and around the country. He is the author of the motivational children’s book, Yes, I Can! and the semi-autobiographical motivational book Keep On Pushing: Hot Lessons From Cool Runnings.

During the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, Korea, Devon was inducted as an Olympian for Life by the World Olympian Association for his significant contribution to society.

Companies that hire inspirational keynote speakers for their corporate events love Devon Harris. He has positively impacted and inspired thousands at corporate events for Fortune 500 companies non-profits, governmental organizations, schools, and universities.

At the heart of his message are the lessons he has learned about the power of persistence over all sorts of obstacles in order to live one’s best life. Whether he is speaking at corporate events, or just interacting one on one, Devon Harris’ mission is the same— to bring this message of how everyone can keep on pushing and working for their dreams every day of their professional as well as personal lives.

DEVON HARRIS PROGRAMS & TOPICS

The Team Captain’s Toolbox: Essential Leadership Traits

Leadership isn’t defined by the job title, expertise or years of experience. It’s about developing the perspective, skills and personal style to get results that matter. No one starts off by being an effective leader but you can aspire to transform yourself into an effective one and in the process make yourself more valuable to the organization. Following on the old adage, “leaders are made not born” this program focuses on individual development and is based on the belief that individuals can expand their leadership capacities; they can learn, grow and change. This program aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and skills that will help them to become more effective leaders and achieve better results faster.

Achieving Leadership Success Through People

"People" – that is the honest answer from most managers when asked about what the most difficult challenge on their job is. People are also their biggest asset. The best leaders know their success depends on their ability to produce results through others and that follow people them, not because they have to, but because they want to. This program provides practical tools for leaders at all levels to learn how to effectively create rapport, synergy and trust with the people they work with and as a result, get the best from them for the leader the team and the organization on a whole.

Success through Peak Performance

Businesses are always looking for ways to increase productivity of their management and staff and to make their companies more profitable. The common practice is to create rigorous strategic plans that don’t always deliver the needed outcomes. I believe that companies must start with the fundamental premise that people are their business. More than strategy, branding, marketing, IT systems, etc.; people are key to the business and in order to develop high performing teams and transform their business, they must first transform their people into high performance individuals. The goal of this session is to empower attendees with the tools and strategies that will transform them into peak performers. The discussions will seek to address specific challenges attendees are facing in the work environment and equip them with tools to raise their game and help them to perform at higher levels.

Get In, Sit Down, Push Your Team to Success

Every organization relies on effective teamwork for progress. But how do we improve our collaborations to achieve bigger and better goals and achieve them faster? How do we blend all the differences in culture, beliefs, work habits and expertise to form a strong cohesive unit? How does a team improve leadership, reduce conflicts and remain focused on the vision? Get in, Sit down, Push Your Team to Success is a comprehensive development program that can help employees become better team members and improve the effectiveness and success of their teams. The goal of this training is to help attendees better understand the importance of teamwork in both their personal and professional lives. It also reinforces the importance of individuals becoming better team members, which helps the team achieve its goals and paves the way for personal achievements.

Keep On Pushing & Live Your Best Life

Innate in our core as human beings is a desire to achieve increasing levels of success and to reach our full potential. Successful people – irrespective of their area of endeavor – demonstrate a profound drive to make the most of their talents in order to achieve their greatest personal and professional ambitions. The goal of this seminar is to teach attendees strategies on how to push past inevitable obstacles and pursue larger, more aspirational goals in order to live their best life.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Keynote

An effective diversity, equity & inclusion speaker is one who helps the audience move beyond simple tolerance to embrace differences. They share ideas that will help your company improve its responsiveness to a customer base that is becoming increasingly diverse. They will help you improve relations with the surrounding community, increasing your team’s ability to cope with change and expanding creativity. They will also help you break barriers by exploring power, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs. They address employee engagement and empowerment, individual and corporate responsibility, biases and overall workplace culture.

Devon brings a fresh look at how diversity in the workplace is not just a legal mandate or corporate ethic – it is fundamentally practical and brings the best teams to the international playing field. Whether as a kid from the inner city of Kingston, Jamaica enrolled at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, an Olympic bobsledder from a tropical paradise or as an immigrant in the United States, Devon Harris often finds himself among the “minority.” These life experiences have provided him with a unique perspective from which to address the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Devon Harris offers a creative and inspiring look at how at work, as in the Olympics, what really matters is performance, attitude and teamwork and ultimately results. With humor and understanding that comes from living what he believes, as an inspirational diversity, equity and inclusion keynote speaker, Devon delivers a compelling inspirational message to groups of all sizes about how to be more bottom-line successful by embracing and applying the innate strengths of a diversity philosophy.

Request Availability for Devon Harris

DEVON HARRIS BOOKS

Keep On Pushing: Hot Lessons from Cool Runnings

Yes I Can! The Story of the Jamaican Bobsled Team

DEVON HARRIS

Original Member of the 1988 Jamaican Olympic Bobsled Team

TRAVELS FROM:

New York

KEYNOTE FEE:

$10,001 - $15,000

Keynote fee falls within this range. For exact fee, please contact us.

KEYNOTE VIDEOS

"When looking for a motivational speaker for our first virtual company meeting I have to say I was feeling slightly nervous about how a motivational speaker would work virtually- would we get the same presence, excitement and inspiration that we get from speakers when we meet in person? With Devon Harris I have to say the answer is YES! Devon is a fantastic speaker - his talk was motivating, engaging and humorous and most of all it was memorable. His story is truly inspirational and the life lessons pulled through from his experience have stayed with us beyond the presentation. In fact he is often quoted by employees in other meetings since we heard him speak in January! The feedback from those that heard his presentation was amazing and I would absolutely recommend him to speak at any company engagement."

Events Director

Pharma Company

"Devon is fantastic! Our nurses LOVED him. He really took the time to know our audience of oncology nurses and spoke directly to them. Devon, we have been energized to lead with a purpose and how to truly be a positive influence to ourselves as well as others. Thank you for being so easy and fun to work with! Your passion and inspiration has definitely helped us to keep on pushing! Many of the conference participants made it a point to tell me that they thought your presentation was outstanding."

Project Manager, ONS Education

Oncology Nursing Society

"Thank you for the incredibly passionate and inspirational speech you delivered at our annual meeting. You had our attention from the start and we thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the insightful lessons you drew from your Olympic bobsled experiences. Your presentation was so well received by our managers that virtually all of them asked that you come back to speak to our lower level managers and staff. You were beyond question a big hit!"

President & CEO

Schenker Logistics

ABOUT DEVON HARRIS

As an original member of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team and captain of the 1992 and 1998 teams; 3-time Olympian, Devon Harris achieved his grand dream. His current dream is to inspire others to achieve theirs. As an international motivational keynote speaker, Devon is tapping the same energy, determination and skills that enabled him to bobsled with the best in the world and is now sparking audiences of all ages to dream big and take their “game” to the next level.

Born on Christmas Day, 1964, Devon Harris was raised in the violent ghetto environment of Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica. The greatest gift he ever received was the belief that a positive attitude and a never say die philosophy would carry him farther than a sense of injustice and a heart filled with anger. Devon Harris graduated from the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and received a Queen’s Commission in December 1985 and served in the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force until December 1992 when he retired as a Captain.

Encouraged by his commanding officer, Devon tried out for and was selected to the first Jamaican bobsled team. The team competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada and their exploits inspired the Disney blockbuster movie Cool Runnings.

The Team Captain’s Toolbox: Essential Leadership Traits

Leadership isn’t defined by the job title, expertise or years of experience. It’s about developing the perspective, skills and personal style to get results that matter. No one starts off by being an effective leader but you can aspire to transform yourself into an effective one and in the process make yourself more valuable to the organization. Following on the old adage, “leaders are made not born” this program focuses on individual development and is based on the belief that individuals can expand their leadership capacities; they can learn, grow and change. This program aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and skills that will help them to become more effective leaders and achieve better results faster.

Achieving Leadership Success Through People

"People" – that is the honest answer from most managers when asked about what the most difficult challenge on their job is. People are also their biggest asset. The best leaders know their success depends on their ability to produce results through others and that follow people them, not because they have to, but because they want to. This program provides practical tools for leaders at all levels to learn how to effectively create rapport, synergy and trust with the people they work with and as a result, get the best from them for the leader the team and the organization on a whole.