Jim Steele: Performance Strategist & Leadership Development Specialist
Jim's session was engaging and memorable. It combined practical insights and clear actions for leaders and created a lasting impact for delegates.
Lee Waterson Partner Deloitte LLP
Jim’s work is grounded in the belief that the most effective development experiences are those where people are actively involved.
Rather than simply presenting ideas, he creates opportunities for participants to challenge their thinking, test strategies, explore new approaches and translate insights into action.
He works with executive development programmes at leading institutions, including London Business School and Deloitte University, as well as directly with organisations seeking to develop leadership capability and high-performing teams.
His executive leadership coaching incorporates The Extraordinary Leader 360° Assessment, developed by Zenger Folkman, followed by individually tailored, strengths-based coaching.
Whether working with a small executive team or a larger leadership population, Jim brings the same commitment to creating engaging, challenging and practical experiences that make a difference back in the workplace.
Judge by results.
Holistic Performance Lab
The practice of high performance.
Holistic Performance Lab is the foundation for Jim’s work in leadership and performance development.
Drawing on research from performance psychology, neuroscience and the study of exceptional performance, HPLab explores how individuals and teams can develop the capabilities required to thrive in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Its approach recognises that performance and wellbeing are not competing priorities. Both are essential components of sustainable success.
Through bespoke programmes, facilitated experiences and individual coaching, HPLab helps organisations turn research and insight into practical strategies, productive behaviours and meaningful improvements in performance.
Leadership Development in Practice
- Speaker & Best Selling Author
- Performance Strategist
- Leadership Development Specialist
- Insightful & Interactive
- Engaging & Entertaining
- Practical & Actionable
“The Unashamedly Superhuman session was one of the most highly-charged events I have ever seen at any corporate event. For four hours Jim held our team spellbound. The ideas we discussed that day about high performance, mindset and belief now resonate deep within our team vocabulary.”
— Global Head of Sales, Third Bridge
“Love working with you Jim Steele, a dream professional speaker that always delivers! #ThePostMan”
— Steve Lindsay, National Sales Conference
“Jim completely changed the mindset of every one of our 250 attendees, instilling confidence and positivity. I have never seen a group of that size remain totally engaged for the entire day. Better, I had many emails thanking me for the session, suggesting Jim had changed their outlook on life and ideas about future careers. The energy and motivation in the office is noticeable and envied by others.”
— Senior partner, Deloitte
“Participants explicitly complimented Jim on his ability to keep the audience engaged and energy levels high while being able to share his profound knowledge and expertise on business performance. Jim brings in exercises in a timely and effortless manner with the right dose of humour and cutting-edge content”.
— Director, DNVGL Energy
“I can always count on Jim to be the highlight of my annual, four-day leadership development conference. I’ve hired Jim for four conferences in a row and he is always the highest rated presenter in a talented field. My leaders really connect with Jim’s message – brain science, peak performance, inspirational leadership and even a little magic!”
— Senior manager, Compass Group
Performance Strategist. Award-Winning Author. Leadership Development Specialist.
Helping leaders and teams become Better. Smarter. Stronger.
For over three decades, Jim Steele has worked with organisations around the world, exploring what enables individuals, leaders and teams to perform at their best.
As the founder of Holistic Performance Lab, bestselling author of Unashamedly Superhuman and 2025 Speaker of the Year, Jim brings together the science of human performance with practical strategies that help organisations develop their people, strengthen leadership capability and create sustainable high performance.
His work combines performance psychology, neuroscience and insights from business and sport with a highly interactive, experiential approach to learning and development.
Jim’s philosophy is simple.
High performance isn’t an event. It’s a system.
High Impact for High Returns
Jim works with senior leadership teams, executives and high-potential talent to develop the mindset, behaviours and capabilities that drive performance in a fast and changing world.
His work spans immersive leadership masterclasses, strategic alignment off-sites, high-performing team programmes and executive leadership coaching.
Whether helping a leadership team align around a shared ambition, challenging established thinking, strengthening collaboration or developing greater adaptability and resilience, the emphasis is always on practical application.
Every programme is tailored to the organisation’s specific challenges, ambitions and strategic priorities.
The objective isn’t simply to create an inspiring experience. It’s to help leaders and teams make better decisions, develop more effective behaviours and build a performance system that delivers lasting results.
The Science of Performance
Better. Smarter. Stronger.
At the heart of Jim’s work is a simple belief. Sustainable high performance is built through the choices we make, the mindset we bring and the behaviours we repeat.
His Better Smarter Stronger framework explores three interconnected dimensions of performance.
BETTER: Direction & Growth
Creating clarity of ambition, unlocking potential and developing the curiosity and adaptability to embrace new opportunities.
SMARTER: Mindset & Behaviour
Challenging assumptions, making more intentional decisions and developing the habits and behaviours that drive consistent performance.
STRONGER: Capacity & Resilience
Building the mental, emotional and physical capacity to perform under pressure, recover effectively and sustain performance over time.
Together, these dimensions provide a practical system for continuous improvement.
Unashamedly Superhuman
Jim’s bestselling book, Unashamedly Superhuman, explores the science behind unlocking human potential and creating a personal system for high performance.
Drawing on neuroscience, performance psychology and practical strategies developed throughout his career, the book examines how our mindset, decisions, habits and behaviours shape the outcomes we achieve.
Its central message runs through Jim’s work with leaders and teams.
While we cannot always control the events and challenges we face, we can develop greater control over how we choose to respond.
And through those responses, we can continually develop our capacity to become better, smarter and stronger.
Let’s Work Together
Whether you’re developing future leaders, bringing a senior leadership team together, building a high-performing team or investing in executive coaching, Jim would welcome the opportunity to explore how HPLab can support your ambitions.
Better leaders. Smarter teams. Stronger performance.
For keynote speaking enquiries, visit jimsteelespeaker.com.