TRUSTED BY LEADING ORGANIZATIONS
Now or Never:
UNLEASHING YOUR POWER IN THE PRESENT
In this energizing and liberating keynote, Dr. Cynthia challenges high-performing professionals to stop drifting through their careers and start intentionally designing what’s next. Based on her signature Now, Near, Next framework and years of global research, this keynote is a bold invitation to reclaim control, reignite purpose, and remove guilt from ambition.
Dr. Cynthia introduces her A.C.E.S. Talent Model to help participants identify their most energizing strengths and understand how to align those talents with roles that truly fit. As she says, “Careers, like shoes, may look good on the outside but cause pain if they don’t fit.”
stop drifting: The Discipline of Direction
In high-performing organizations, leaders rarely fail outright. More often, they drift.
Drift looks like resilience. It looks like busyness. It looks like “good enough.” But over time, unreviewed patterns erode clarity, dilute priorities, and quietly misalign performance. High-capacity leaders are especially vulnerable — because their competence masks slow deviation from what matters most.
In this compelling and practical keynote, Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer names the hidden risk of drift and equips leaders with a disciplined framework to interrupt it before it compounds — personally and professionally.
Blending behavioral science with more than three decades of executive leadership experience, Cynthia challenges audiences to confront the illusion of stability and reclaim deliberate direction in their work, leadership, and lives.
Participants leave with:
A clear model to recognize early signals of drift
A simple 7-minute daily practice to restore focus and momentum
A stewardship framework that strengthens alignment across career, team, and personal leadership
The result is leaders who make sharper decisions, protect what matters, and generate momentum that aligns individual fulfillment with organizational performance.
Because direction is not automatic. It is a discipline.
The Puzzle Premise:
Investing in Uniquely Human Capital for Competitive Advantage
For decades, organizations have been designed around boxes and lines—org charts built on efficiency, job descriptions shaped to fit uniform roles, and talent systems optimized for consistency. While these structures once served scale, they now create fragility. They assume people are interchangeable when, in reality, human capital is anything but.
In this visually powerful and thought-provoking keynote, Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer challenges box-based organizational design and introduces a new way of thinking about talent—not as blocks to be stacked, but as puzzle pieces to be intentionally assembled. Through compelling demonstrations and real-world insight, leaders see how forcing uniquely human capability into standardized roles leaves value on the cutting-room floor and exposes gaps that cannot be filled.
Drawing on frameworks from Human Capital Investment Strategy, this session reframes talent as an appreciating asset and equips leaders to:
Recognize the predictive power of natural talent
Discover and deploy capability beyond job descriptions
Design systems that unlock flow, resilience, and performance
The Puzzle Premise moves leaders beyond legacy thinking and toward intentional design—where human potential is not constrained by boxes, but assembled for sustainable, competitive advantage.
Ways to Engage
Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer
Keynote Speaker
Insightful, research-grounded talks that challenge assumptions and inspire thoughtful leadership.
Best for: Conferences, leadership events, retreats
Emcee
A composed and engaging presence that guides the flow of your event with intention and ease.
Best for: Conferences, multi-speaker programs, live events
Panel Moderator
Thoughtful moderation that elevates discussion and draws out meaningful perspectives.
Best for: Leadership panels, complex or sensitive topics
Facilitator
Purpose-driven conversations that lead groups toward clarity, alignment, and action.
Best for: Executive teams, workshops, strategy sessions