Speaking & workshops

Inspiring ideas for your team workshop, CEO forum, conference or company offsite

Featured Topics

Richard regularly runs interactive workshops and gives keynote presentations for CEO/entrepreneur groups and executive teams globally. Here are four of the most common themes.

Making TIME For Strategy: How to be less busy and more successful

Unlock your strategic potential and reclaim your time.

If you're like most leaders, you’re pulled into far too many operational issues, leaving you stuck in the weeds and unable to focus on the bigger picture. Imagine walking away with the tools to free yourself from the operational prison you’ve built—creating an extra 10 hours per week for deep strategic thinking.

In this insightful session, based on proven frameworks used by the world’s top CEOs and Richard's book of the same title, you'll:

  • Learn the two ways leaders manage their time—and why the most popular approach keeps you permanently overloaded.
  • Discover the 4 powerful shifts that will help you focus on what truly matters and operate more strategically.
  • Walk away with 3 immediate actions to increase momentum on your most strategic projects.

This is your opportunity to finally break free from busyness and focus on the work that really matters to your business—and your legacy.

The 10X Dilemma: Craft your greatest chapter without repeating the sacrifices of the past

Make your next chapter your most impactful yet — and the most enjoyable

You know you’ve got untapped potential, but you're concerned that taking your leadership to the next level might come with too many sacrifices—whether that's your health, family, or enjoyment of life itself.

In this inspiring session, we’ll:

  • Guide you through the 10X Mindset checklist and identify which of the 5 high-achiever traps are keeping you playing small.
  • Introduce you to the six ‘10X assets’—customised for your unique situation—that will allow you to operate at a higher level, even when uncertainty strikes.
  • Equip you with practical tools to step into your 10X future, so you can achieve breakthrough results while keeping life fun and fulfilling.

Imagine transforming your business, multiplying its impact, and doing it in a way that makes life more exciting than ever. This is your chance to break out of incremental progress and into your greatest chapter yet.

The Lazy CEO: Counterintuitive leadership strategies that are more effective with less effort

Be the CEO who achieves more by doing less.

Let’s challenge the lie that more success requires more grind. Top leaders often get trapped in a cycle of hyper-productivity that no longer serves them, but the truth is, you don’t need to hustle harder to succeed. Imagine achieving record-breaking results while having time for a weekend off.

In this light-hearted but impactful workshop, you'll:

  • Measure yourself against the “Grindometer”—a fun tool to reveal the habits and mindsets that are keeping you locked in busy mode.
  • Discover the “Lazy CEO’s Charter”—counterintuitive insights that will make you more effective with less effort, and prove to yourself that these principles work.
  • Create your own personal “Lazy CEO Playbook” that allows you to implement these game-changing ideas straight away.

If you’re tired of grinding and ready for a more effortless—and far more effective—way of leading, this workshop will help you make that leap.

Your Dream Executive Team: How to take it from good to great

Elevate your executive team to the next level and free yourself for greater things.

Your executive team should be your greatest asset—but chances are, they’re bogged down in operations and not performing at the level you need them to. Imagine what would be possible if your senior leadership team were aligned, firing on all cylinders, and pushing your business forward while you focus on what only you can do.

In this powerful session, based on proven success with CEOs from start-ups to billion-dollar companies, we’ll:

  • Use our Team Dynamics model to identify your team’s unique ‘stagnation loop’ and quickly move past it.
  • Explore the 4 phase approach that prevents your progress from stalling, and create a roadmap for sustainable success over the next six months.
  • Build your first Dream Team Scorecard to track progress and agree on the immediate next steps that will drive your team forward.

If you’re ready to turn your senior team into your greatest lever for success, this will show you the way forward.

Let's discuss your needs

Contact us to discuss your requirements and find out how Richard can help.

We've been featured on some of the world's top podcasts

Awesome at Your Job Podcast
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Corporate Thought Podcast - Marc Marling I have a saying
How to Build Commitment in Your Remote Team by Richard Medcalf
How to Accelerate and Multiply Your Impact by Richard Medcalf
Strategic Leadership by Richard Medcalf
Think like a CEO by Richard Medcalf
Unlabeled Leadership
The Leadership Hacker
Integrate & Ignite
Breakfast Leadership Show
The Remote CEO Show
Conscious Millionaire Podcast

Appreciation from past participants

Ideal format, with proven leaders

It was a great forum with a very representative audience, expertly guided by Richard. It was exciting to exchange thoughts with such a diverse group of proven leaders, and I believe the format of the meeting was ideal.

Alex Shevchenko

CEO

Helpful & informative

Thanks for a fascinating session that was very helpful and informative.

Delegate

Made me feel less alone in my own role

The workshop was a fantastic way to meet other CEOs and hear what they are wrestling with. It definitely made me feel less alone in my own role.

Brad Flowers

CEO

Fantastic & amazing

Thanks again Richard for a fantastic session which has received amazing feedback.

Dan Wells

CEO

Richard really challenged us!

We had a wonderful session with Richard today where he really challenged us to articulate and embrace our best selves and highest purpose to deeply enrich our lives.

Simon Mainwaring

Founder/CEO

Well structured

Really well structured with very practical examples.

MARTIN D.

COUNTRY MANAGER

Insightful

Very insightful - on both a personal and team level.

IAN G.

DIVISIONAL HEAD

Thought-provoking

Very thought-provoking, memorable and engaging.

James Atack

CTO

CEOs at the top of their game

The event came at a very busy time so it was quite a commitment for me, but I am glad to have joined. I genuinely enjoyed meeting strangers who were obviously at the top of their game. It felt safe enough to be open about business challenges and to share useful insights.

John Argent

Founder and CEO

Rich & memorable session

The workshop brought together interesting fellow CEOs in a convivial atmosphere to address a fresh topic. It was a rich and memorable session.

Mark Griffiths

Managing Director

Sharp and insightful - a really good use of time

I find the sessions that Richard runs to be very benenficial in that they allow you to get perspective on your own thinking and approach through discussions with a group of your peers. I enjoyed the exercises and the quick insights from others with great experience. The sessions are sharp and insightful - a really good use of time. 

Michel Robert

CEO

Enjoyed the open discussion

I enjoyed the open discussion between CEOs; it was good to hear different perspectives and also recognise common challenges and experiences.

Nick Hale

CEO

A quick exercise break for your CEO brain

A quick exercise break for your CEO brain. I came away with one specific new angle that I’m actively looking into.

Christopher Traggio

CEO

Helped me be a better leader

Richard demonstrated the value of being able to think without constraints and how that takes a personal and company vision to a whole new level. An excellent exercise in the value of what I need to BE in order to become the best leader I can.

Hugo Fry

CEO

Thought provoking and challenging

Richard pushed us beyond the here and now to a more far-reaching future. The workshop was thought provoking and challenging, and I really benefitted from the diverse experiences of the other CEOs.

Andy Morris

CEO

Eye-opening

Thanks for the presentation. It was an eye-opener for me. I've identified 3 actions that need my immediate attention.

Timothy Kamombo

Finance Director

Openness and honesty

Clear and structured, Richard brings an openness and honesty which really engaged me and helped me to apply the key messages.

TOBIAS N.

COO

Best presentation

Richard delivered simply the best presentation of the day.

ALEX D.

DIRECTOR

I was forced to think beyond my comfort zone

It was a very stimulating session, where I was forced to think beyond my comfort zone and discover new ideas. The format of the engagement was itself a great takeaway. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this.

Abhishek Rungta

Founder & CEO

A total supercharge!

The workshop was wonderful. It has absolutely led to a quantum shift in my direction. An incredibly valuable session: a total supercharge. Amazing!

Davina Stanley

Founder

Spark self-reflection

I love Richard's ability to find the right angle of attack to spark self-reflection on my role as manager. He made me sit up and take action!

Bernard Lamy

Commercial Director

Time well spent

The best hour I've spent this entire year!

Delegate

Really good material

Really good material. You helped me nail down some really practical next steps!

Delegate

Clear and impactful content

The workshop was excellent - our CEO group found the strategic thinking exercises and structured time for discussion to be really valuable.  Richard's facilitation kept everyone engaged, and the clear and impactful content made it a great experience.

Vince Tickel

Chair

Richard's Bio

Richard Medcalf
Founder

Richard Medcalf describes himself as "what you get if you were to put a McKinsey consultant, a slightly unorthodox pastor and Freddie Mercury into a blender!"

Richard is the founder of Xquadrant and a trusted advisor to some of the most successful CEOs and entrepreneurs on the planet.

Richard has advised the C-Suite for 25 years. After a Masters Degree at Oxford University, where he came top in his year, he became the youngest-ever Partner at a top strategy consultancy. He spent 11 years at tech giant Cisco in an elite team to pioneer strategic projects directly for the CEO.

Richard founded Xquadrant to help the world’s top CEOs and entrepreneurs become world-changing forces for good, creating a legacy of exponential impact.

His 1:1 clients include CEOs of billion dollar companies, an Entrepreneur of the Year, an Olympic medallist, and founders of tech 'unicorns'. Richard also runs the CEO programme Rivendell and is the author of Making Time For Strategy.

Richard is bi-national English/French, lives near Paris, and is happily married and the proud father of two. He's a licensed lay minister in the Anglican Church, and has an insatiable love for spicy food and the electric guitar.

Featured Clients

Media appearances

Richard has been featured on some of the world's top podcasts. Hover to see the episode title, and click to listen

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