Erik Vermeulen is a Behavioural Strategist & SA’s foremost speaker on behaviour, teamwork, adventure and mindset

Businesses and employees continue to be at the frontline of the “new normal” but personal motivation seems to be at an all-time low. 59% of employees said that they’re feeling anxious, isolated, and unmotivated as a result of remote or hybrid scenarios – they’re close to BURN-OUT

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Erik co-created The Brightrock Battle of the Sports which saw him walk 800km with some of South Africa’s sporting heroes

Perseverance, uncertainty, insane goals and a deadline that looms ever closer along with team dynamics create the perfect storm to determine a great finishing time or total failure. What about the leadership and performance hacks that Erik employed to keep the athletes engaged, moving forward and to complete the toughest challenge of their lives?

How do we endure when we feel that our efforts are not being valued? How do we endure when it seems that I’m not making a difference?

Connectedness and Meaning are considered essential for high engagement in teams, and it is clear that remote work and the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic has significantly affected these in teams and companies.

How can you effectively re-connect with your teams in a hybrid work environment, or as they are returning to office environments over the coming months?

Resulting from many requests to help teams reconnect, we’ve created a 1 day Team Charter Development programme. We can facilitate this programme either in person or remotely.

Using our 20 years’ facilitation and executive management experience, we take your team on a journey to discover what they really hold dear and how they can progress from “forming and storming” to “norming and performing”.

Teams leave this session with:An aligned vision for their performance:
Clear Core Values
Group norms to guide their behaviour and “rules of engagement
Metrics for success
Performance Standards

Situational Leadership is dependent on the leader understanding both the CONTEXT as well as the PEOPLE in every situation and this two-day programme will allow leaders to master the behavioural skills required to adapt their approach to others.

Delegates are taught how to identify different styles based on certain behavioural criteria and how to modify approaches in order to manage relationships effectively. We explore back-up styles, managing conflict, leadership, and how to identify the different behavioural styles based on facial expressions and body language.

Delegates develop an awareness about themselves and their behaviour styles.
Team members develop an awareness of each other’s styles and the effect their behaviour has on others.
How to manage behavioural approach to get the best out of each other and to minimize conflict.
Have a thorough understanding of how to be versatile in their behavioural approach when dealing with customers and colleagues.

Central to successful sales is understanding both the BENEFITS as well as the INDIVIDUAL and their BEHAVIOURAL BIASES that influence the way in which they make decisions. This two-day programme will allow salespeople to master the behavioural skills required to adapt their approach to others.

Sales professionals are taught how to identify different styles based on certain behavioural criteria and how to modify approaches in order to manage relationships effectively. We explore how to identify the different behavioural styles based on facial expressions and body language, and how to pitch solutions and close deals according to the behaviour style of the client.

Delegates develop an awareness about themselves and their behaviour styles.
How to manage behavioural approach to get the best out of every interaction with a potential client.
Have a thorough understanding of how to be versatile in their behavioural approach when dealing with customers in order to get the best results

Behavioural Economics Strategist Erik Vermeulen uses his engaging style and unique insights into behaviour and decision-making to illustrate and explore the biases that skew our perception of the world around us. He has a 21 year consulting track record and sits on the Faculty of the Johannesburg Business School as lecturer in the Executive Education track on Behavioural Economics.

We all think of ourselves as rational human beings making reasonable decisions in our daily lives. But social scientists assert that this is seldom the case – that our decisions (with our time, our money, our attention, our relationships) are indeed truly rational. Rather, we make emotional decisions and then try to rationalise them after the fact. When we’re faced with complex decisions, our brains are wired to take shortcuts and our feelings get in the way.

Tailor-made for each audience, Erik looks at the Cognitive and Emotional biases that affect our seemingly rational decision-making and shape our behaviour. He examines these from the viewpoints of both consumer and producer of information and applies these principles to Marketing, Customer Engagement, Customer Experience as well as Sales and even Employee Engagement.

Understanding the power of Behavioural Economics in shaping behaviour and results is more important than ever in providing insights into your company’s approach to marketing, sales, customer experience and internal culture.

The biggest challenge facing leaders in a post pandemic economy is not to manage balance sheets, but to manage their people and their attitudes.

Uncertainty is the very essence of adventure, and at the essence of leadership is the mitigation of uncertainty and creating certainty within the context of the business environment. This makes leadership a most compelling adventure.

In this presentation, Erik Vermeulen addresses the essential skills and dashboards that modern leaders need to be concerned with in order to create an environment in which people can thrive while meeting business objectives. His insights and audience take aways are a careful blend of research, behavioural science and personal experience blended from business and adventure leadership.

In this presentation he guides the audience through the challenges they face and how to meet them head on with practical examples, vivid stories from his own experience and poignant behavioural strategies for leaders to build teams, drive performance and lead in turbulent times.

We all know that in today’s world change is the only constant and in this keynote presentation, Erik drives home the message that business needs to be comfortable with being uncomfortable while navigating the “Change Curve”

Using 4 adventures as the backbone for the journey, Erik will take the audience from the Empty Quarter to Antarctica and from Kilimanjaro to the summit of Aconcagua to discover the four key themes driving success in leading change, managing disruption, and future-proofing your organisation.

From embracing disruption and building resilience to fostering collaboration and leading with purpose, Erik unveils actionable insights and proven solutions tailored for today’s dynamic marketplace.

What sets Erik’s presentation apart? His unparalleled expertise, honed through years of advising global leaders and organisations, brings unparalleled value to every session. Erik’s captivating style and engaging delivery ensure an immersive experience that resonates long after the event ends. Participants walk away empowered with practical tools and a renewed sense of purpose to thrive amidst change.

In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the ability to harness the power of teamwork is more critical than ever. Erik Vermeulen, a seasoned behavioural strategist and adventurer, offers profound insights into unlocking the potential of collaborative intelligence. With a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of human dynamics, Vermeulen’s keynote speech is a transformative journey into the heart of effective teamwork.

He emphasises the paramount importance of teamwork in driving organizational success through highlighting his experiences in both the corporate world and the world of adventure. He introduces concepts such as the Partnership Model, The Trust Equation and how teams can achieve results through finding Purpose in Process.

Throughout his presentation, Vermeulen delves into the dynamics of effective teams. Building a culture of collaboration is not just a lofty aspiration but a tangible goal within reach. Vermeulen provides practical strategies for fostering psychological safety, encouraging openness and transparency, and aligning goals and objectives to unite teams towards a common purpose.

Where Digital Peaks Meet Human Potential
In a world where the future of work seems as unpredictable as a mountain storm, who better to guide your organization than someone who has navigated both the highest summits and the complexities of corporate transformation?

Erik Vermeulen, renowned behavioural strategist and expedition leader, presents a ground-breaking keynote that transforms the uncertainty of tomorrow’s workplace into an adventure of opportunity. Drawing from over 20 years of corporate consulting experience and countless hours leading teams through extreme environments, Erik delivers a masterclass in future-ready leadership.

Why This Keynote Is Different
Just as no two summits are the same, today’s workplace challenges require unique solutions. Erik doesn’t just present trends – he guides you through them with the precision of a seasoned mountaineer and the insight of a behavioural expert. Through immersive storytelling and interactive experiences, participants will:

– Master the “Digital Death Zone” of cognitive overwhelm
– Navigate the hybrid workspace with Antarctic expedition precision
– Build purpose-driven teams that perform like well-coordinated climbing parties
– Develop collaborative networks as reliable as Sherpa support systems
– Foster adaptive resilience across every level of your organization

Erik Vermeulen’s keynote presentation on the concept of “Cordialism” sheds light on how companies often lose their distinctive flavour as they grow, merge, or undergo acquisitions, primarily due to neglecting their corporate culture. Drawing from his extensive experience as a business consultant and expedition leader, Vermeulen emphasizes the crucial role of culture in sustaining a company’s identity and success.

At the heart of Vermeulen’s presentation is the notion that as companies expand and integrate with others, there’s a risk of diluting or eroding the unique cultural elements that once defined them. This loss of flavour, or “Cordialism,” as Vermeulen terms it, can lead to decreased employee morale, disengagement, and ultimately, diminished performance.