Jeffrey SonnenfeldSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

The real challenge isn’t the headlines—it’s knowing which ones truly matter. Sonnenfeld takes in the full landscape, blending geopolitics and economics into a single, actionable picture, informed by firsthand experience alongside top CEOs. He translates global trends into specific impacts for each industry and decision point, enabling audiences to clearly distinguish what’s changing, what’s just noise, and where decisive action is needed now.

Most leadership talks rely on theory or focus on individual experience. Sonnenfeld draws on four decades spent with the leaders of the world’s largest companies, observing them take charge, face challenges, bounce back, and move on. He shares real case studies from those boardrooms, revealing what top leaders do differently, how they stay resilient, and what distinguishes those who endure from those who burn out. Audiences come away with a practical understanding of how exceptional leaders truly operate, grounded in examples from familiar names.

The most difficult decisions at the top rarely have clear solutions. Leaders must determine when to persist and when to step aside, who should follow in their footsteps, when a board needs to intervene, and how to recover after setbacks. Sonnenfeld has dedicated his career to these critical moments, drawing from his influential work on leadership transitions and his research into overcoming public setbacks. Audiences gain a more practical and candid framework for making choices when the right path is uncertain.

Every company recognizes that investing in AI is essential. The more challenging issues involve deciding where to implement it, how quickly to proceed, and identifying when hype exceeds actual value. Sonnenfeld approaches this from the perspective of boardrooms making these decisions in real time, rather than as an engineer or pessimist. Audiences gain the ability to distinguish true urgency from costly distractions and make informed decisions with confidence instead of anxiety.

AI is shifting from offering advice to taking action, and companies are starting to assign real tasks to systems that make independent decisions. Sonnenfeld’s forthcoming book When Machines Act (MIT Press, March 2027) explores the leadership challenges that arise from this transition. He examines how CEOs are deciding which responsibilities should be handled by machines, which should remain human, and who is accountable when an autonomous system makes a mistake. Audiences gain a practical framework for leading organizations where machines act independently, staying ahead of both the market and regulators.

Every organization encounters powerful individuals who are difficult to predict. Today, that person is often President Trump. Sonnenfeld has known him personally for thirty years, and his New York Times and USA Today bestseller Trump’s Ten Commandments analyzes the leadership and negotiation patterns beneath the headlines. These same patterns appear with any counterparty who holds the leverage, making this an analysis rather than an endorsement. Audiences take away practical lessons for negotiating, anticipating change, and responding effectively when the rules are in flux.