Doug Smart

Doug is an award-winning, international, business motivational speaker who empowers businesses to transform mindsets, navigate change, and turn impossibility into reality, driving accelerated growth and ambition. He frequently works with leadership teams and senior management groups. Since 1990, he has presented over 2,000 programs from London to Luxor to Los Angeles. He is the author/co-author of 25 books, including "Blind Ambition: Leading with Vision During Change." Doug is certified to provide the newest scientifically validated assessment instruments. For 3 years he hosted the motivational radio show, Smarter by the Minute.

Doug is an expert at showing people how to discover their personal strengths so they can reach their goals smarter, faster, and easier. He coaches individuals, speaks to groups, and consults with business owners and executives who want high-performance teams. His insights are particularly valuable for businesses aiming to foster an environment of accelerated growth and ambition.

Additionally, Doug has a special leadership program for business owners and senior management people called "How to Take the Gamble Out of Hiring and Promoting." In this program, he teaches leaders how to identify other peoples' strengths so excellent choices are made and there are no more bad hires or short-sighted promotions.

Prior to starting a speaking and consulting business, Doug worked in the real estate industry for 16 years. He began as a licensed salesman at 21 years old with zero credibility in the business. Even though he had never owned real estate, he attempted to advise people on the biggest purchase of their lives. It took 7 months to make his first sale. But he stuck with it and at age 28, based on his sales success, his trade association gave him a lifetime sales achievement award. He was their youngest recipient. He later owned and operated one of the largest residential real estate brokerages in his city, giving him practical, hands-on experience in leadership, team building, sales, change management, communication, conflict resolutions, and stress reduction.

Driven to share with others how anyone can find success by maximizing their personal strengths, in 1990, Doug started Smart Business Seminars. This later became Strengths International as the scope of the business grew. Over the last two decades, Doug and his associates have trained people from the world's largest corporations, small businesses, hospitals, factories, associations, and government offices. He has worked with organizations across North America and around the world.