Michael Bergdahl

Former Walmart Executive, Bestselling Business Author, Human Resources & Retail Sales Speaker

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Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Michael Bergdahl Biography

Michael Bergdahl is a professional international business speaker, author, and turnaround specialist. Prior to this, Bergdahl served as the Director of People at the Walmart headquarters office in Bentonville, Arkansas, reporting directly to the company's founder, Sam Walton, who gave him the nickname "Bird Dawg." He also has experience in the FMCG Industry, having worked for PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division in both sales and headquarters staff roles. Apart from his roles at Walmart and Frito-Lay, Bergdahl has demonstrated his expertise as a turnaround specialist through his tenure as VP of HR at two Fortune 1000 companies, American Eagle Outfitters and Waste Management.

With more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources, Bergdahl also served as a Plant HR & Safety Manager at J.M. Huber, a privately owned $2 billion Manufacturing Company. He has been recognized professionally with the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) lifetime certification from SHRM. Bergdahl's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Behavioral Science from Pennsylvania State University.

Bergdahl gains international acclaim for his in-depth knowledge of the best practices of Walmart & Sam Walton. He has appeared on several internationally recognized platforms such as CNN, CNBC, CNN FN, MSNBC, CNN International, Univision, CBS National Radio, and Bloomberg TV. His written works and articles about him have been published worldwide. Moreover, he has contributed to numerous trade publications including Hardware Retailer Magazine (NRHA), Progressive Grocer Magazine, and the Retailer Association of India, STORAI Magazine. He also moderates two LinkedIn discussion groups related to Walmart and Sam Walton's leadership practices, boasting a combined membership of more than 10,000 professionals globally.

As an author, Bergdahl has penned several books, with two notable titles being "What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Walmart World" and "The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results." His books have been widely received, reaching audiences across the globe with translations in multiple languages.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/09/2024.

Michael Bergdahl Speaking Topics

  • The 10 Rules of Sam Walton

    In Michael Bergdahl's book called, The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results, he unveils the tactics of the world's most successful entrepreneur.

    In this speech, he discusses Sam Walton's 10 self-professed rules for success, which Walton embraced as he grew Wal-Mart from a single store to a 7000+ store global enterprise. Did you know that when he died Sam Walton was the world’s richest man? He was worth US$100 billion which at the time was almost double the wealth of Bill Gates! Conference participants really want to learn the success secrets followed by the world’s wealthiest man and now they can!

    Based on his second book, The 10 Rules of Sam Walton, Michael Bergdahl will discuss “The Sam Walton Way” through a discussion of the tactics behind Sam Walton’s self-professed rules for entrepreneurial success. Sam Walton credited these 10 rules as the reason he became the World’s Richest Man.

    Your conference participants will gain actionable ideas, from the tactics followed by Sam Walton, which they can adapt, and utilize in their businesses and personal lives. In this speech, Bergdahl uses great stories only an insider can tell about Sam Walton’s unique brand of leadership!

    Growing Your Business “The Sam Walton & Wal-Mart Way"

    When he died, Sam Walton was the wealthiest man in the world with an estate worth over US $100 billion dollars! How did he achieve such phenomenal success in just over 30 years? How does Wal-Mart focus its 2 million employees, 7100 stores and 120 massive distribution centers? What were Sam Walton’s secrets for growing Wal-Mart to become the world’s largest company?

    Wal-Mart’s successful growth is a result of specific strategies and tactics put in place long ago by the company founder, Sam Walton. Sam Walton had a vision, a specific game plan, and rules upon which he focused his team to grow his business. In this speech Bergdahl discusses the success strategies and tactics of “The Sam Walton and Wal-Mart Way.”

    Audience members will learn the success secrets of the world’s most successful merchant, Sam Walton, and the best practices of the world’s largest company, Wal-Mart. The focus of this program is to help audience members transfer the knowledge gained into action to grow their own businesses, through innovation, risk taking, and thinking outside the box “The Sam Walton & Wal-Mart Way.”

  • Picking Wal-Mart’s “POCKETS

    Based on his first book, What I learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete & Thrive in a Wal-Mart World, this speech reveals “The Wal-Mart Way” through a discussion of the 7 key strategies of Wal-Mart.

    Using storytelling, humor, inspiration and his real world experience working with Sam Walton as examples, Bergdahl unveils those seven strategies. He uses the acronym, “P.O.C.K.E.T.S.”, which stands for Price, Operations, Culture, Key Item Promotion, Expenses, Talent and Service. Bergdahl believes, “Finding your unique niche in the marketplace or “POCKETS” is the key to success no matter what market or business you are competing in!”

    In this speech he explains the key to each of Wal-Mart’s seven strategies, and the Best Practices, that have made Wal-Mart the World’s Largest Company. More importantly, Bergdahl will discuss specific strategies that audience members can take away from “The Wal-Mart Way” to make their businesses even more successful.

    Conference participants will learn techniques other companies have used successfully to compete, survive and thrive in a Wal-Mart World! Bergdahl also reviews a checklist of success strategies and tactics audience members can implement in their businesses immediately upon return.

    Whether your conference participants love Wal-Mart, or hate Wal-Mart, if they are in business anywhere around the globe, they will benefit by “Picking Wal-Marts POCKETS!” Note: Bergdahl will tailor his remarks to support your brand and conference theme!

  • The Sam Walton Way: What Would Sam Do?

    Bergdahl teaches the core strategies and leadership rules that made Sam Walton a success.

    On July 2, 1962, Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart Store in Rogers, Arkansas and in 2012; Wal-Mart will celebrate its 50th anniversary of that accomplishment.

    I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with, and around, Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. That’s how I learned that “THE SAM WALTON WAY” IS “THE WALMART WAY!” I wrote the book, THE SAM WALTON WAY, as a tribute, and to commemorate Mr. Sam’s 50 year leadership legacy and in it I’ve captured his Best Leadership Practices.

    Mr. Sam’s leadership philosophies, values, strategies, and tactics have remained the foundation of the Wal-Mart culture for fifty years! Amazingly, Sam Walton, a small town retailer from Arkansas, transformed the way business is conducted around the world with his paradigm busting leadership strategies and tactics.

    To this day, Wal-Mart’s leaders continue to turn to Mr. Sam’s leadership philosophies as a touchstone to guide them as they operate more than 10,000 Wal-Mart Stores and Sam’s Clubs around the world. Interestingly, when faced with a difficult problem today’s company leaders often still find themselves asking, “What Would Sam Do?”

    In this speech, THE SAM WALTON WAY: What Would Sam Do?, based on my first hand observations and insights I gained from others who worked with Mr. Sam, I will discuss his best leadership practices that made Wal-Mart the World’s Largest Company.

    Wouldn’t it be great to learn Sam Walton’s success strategies? Now you can! In this speech, Michael Bergdahl will review Sam Walton’s best practices, his 7 core strategies, and his 10 self-professed leadership rules. You might say, this speech is “one stop shopping” for everything you ever wanted to know about The Sam Walton Way!

  • High Expectations Are the Key To Everything

    HEATKTE is not about how to bring out the best in others, it’s about how to bring out the best in YOU!

    My life and the lives of everyone in my family changed in an instant on July 7, 2003, at three o’clock in the morning. That was the moment my wife Sheryl, to whom I’ve been married for 27 years, had a catastrophic stroke; it was also the moment our lives would change forever.

    Sheryl’s reaction to her stroke was truly inspirational, and in fact her response and my response, have become defining moments in our lives. I learned that the challenges we faced, and that my family continues to face, are not insurmountable. When we first experienced adversity, I reacted as many people do by assuming I was not equal to the challenge; I had low expectations. Fortunately, Sheryl provided the inspiration I needed when I had lost faith in my own ability to deal with the life-changing challenges in front of us. Sheryl set her goals high and she convinced me to continue to also set my goals high to insure I would continue to achieve at the highest level.

    Each and every one of us deals with challenges in our lives that interfere with the achievement of our goals. Why is it that some people always seem to land on their feet, while others fall down crippled under the weight of life’s obstacles? Why do you think one average person experiences great success in life, while another average person doesn’t? In almost all cases both individuals started out with similar capabilities, talent, and resources. So what is the difference? Successful people expect nothing less than success; they approach problems as opportunities, they have high expectations, and they triumph! They are driven by a can do attitude, and they begin every challenge they face with the belief they will find a way to succeed in the end.

    In this inspirational speech with substance, Michael Bergdahl will explain how, based on his family life and his work experiences, he overcame adversity and achieved his goals in life; he’ll explain how you can do it too! In this speech he discusses ideas, affirmations, tips, and strategies based on his new book about the six HEATKTE Keys to Success:

    KEY #1: VISION & PURPOSE: I Will Pursue My Goals With Passion

    KEY #2: PLAN & STRATEGIZE: I Will Control My Own Destiny

    KEY #3: EFFORT & EXECUTION: I Will Overcome My Fears & Obstacles

    KEY #4: AFFIRM & BELIEVE: I Will Commit to Achieving Success

    KEY #5: ACHIEVE & SOAR: I Will Strive to Be the Best

    KEY #6:,/i> PERSEVERE & ACCOMPLISH: I Will Never Quit

    High Expectations Are The Key To Everything you want to accomplish in your life! Having high expectations isn’t just the key to achieving success in some things, many things, or a lot of things; it is the key to achieving success in everything you do!

    Your HEATKTE success journey begins, now!

Michael Bergdahl Videos

  • HEATKTE - High Expectations Are The Key To Everything
    H.E.A.T.K.T.E. is about how to bring out the best in you! This speech is based on the book Bergdahl and his wife Sheryl co-wrote after she suffered...
  • Michael Bergdahl at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores)
  • Michael Bergdahl Keynote Speech at CACDS

Michael Bergdahl Books

  • Putting Your Employees First: The Abc's For Leaders Of Generations X, Y, & Z
    Putting Your Employees First: The Abc's For Leaders Of Generations X, Y, & Z
  • The Sam Walton Way: 50 Of Mr. Sam's Best Leadership Practices
    The Sam Walton Way: 50 Of Mr. Sam's Best Leadership Practices
  • The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results
    The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results
  • What I Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World
    What I Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World

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  • What topics does Michael Bergdahl speak about?

  • Where does Michael Bergdahl travel from?

    Michael Bergdahl generally travels from Pittsburgh, PA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Michael Bergdahl is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The 10 Rules of Sam Walton, Picking Wal-Mart’s “POCKETS, The Sam Walton Way: What Would Sam Do? and High Expectations Are the Key To Everything. The estimated speaking fee range to book Michael Bergdahl for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Michael Bergdahl generally travels from Pittsburgh, PA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Libby Gill, Dr. Jackie Freiberg, Jason Young, Robert Spector and Doug Lipp. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Michael Bergdahl for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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