
James Kerr
All Blacks – Bestselling author of “Legacy” and expert in leadership, teamwork and high performance
James Kerr: Biography highlights
James Kerr specialises in leadership and high performance. He is the author of ‘Legacy’, the international bestseller, which analyses the unique culture of the world’s most successful sporting team, the All Blacks.
Full biography
James Kerr specialises in leadership and high performance.
He is the author of ‘Legacy’, the international bestseller, which analyses the unique culture of the world’s most successful sporting team, the All Blacks. The Daily Telegraph called it the ‘modern version of Vince Lombardi’s guides to coaching’ and says ‘for those searching for genuine keys to team culture, it is manna from heaven.’
In his work, Kerr dresses the transferable principles that drive exceptional outperformance. Using examples from his work with sport, the military and business, he argues that winning teams employ the same basic ideas; a relentless focus on excellence, a commitment to a collective cause, individual autonomy, trust initiative and accountability, candid communication, underpinned by a culture in which ‘leaders create leaders’.
As an advisory, he helps organisations ‘lift their game’: galvanising and inspiring their teams through standards and expectations, identity, belief and belonging, mindset and mental skills. As well as small, elite teams, Kerr addresses the specific challenges faced by larger, more diverse organisations. He has advised US and UK Special Forces, Formula 1 teams, America’s Cup crews, Premier League football managers, Olympic Performance Directors – as well as corporations ranging from Google to PayPal, McKinsey to Dyson, HSBC to Roche, Red Bull to Unilever, Shell to Boeing. His next book, Spearhead, explores ‘the principles of war for the business of leadership’, providing a fresh framework for leaders looking to turn culture into a ‘force multiplier’ for competitive advantage.
He is the co-founder of Fable Partners, the Leadership and Change Consultancy.
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Watch James in action

HSBC Private Bank (Monaco)
“Thank you for your brilliant performance… we had great feedback from invitees.”
Oxford United Football Club
“Thanks again for a wonderful hour – my most valuable this year. The feedback has been incredible from all parties”
Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi
For the book, “Legacy”: “If you read only one leadership book in your life, make it this one. Brilliant”
NHS, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
“The feedback received from our staff was excellent: “Extremely potent and easy to visualise for our environment… motivational… transferable… truly inspirational and relevant”
SEAL Team FOUR
“Thank you for sharing your profound and extremely relevant perspective regarding the value of legacy, culture and heritage to our organisation. Your unmatched expertise and willingness to provide a first rate learning experience is truly outstanding.”
For the book, “Legacy”: “Beautifully written, wonderfully observed, true to the bone. This book is both intelligent and insightful: the perfect ‘how-to’ manual for effective leadership. Read it.'”
James's speaking topics
Leadership
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Culture
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Vision
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Teamwork
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Resilience
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High Performance
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Purpose
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