Jim Haudan

Jim Haudan is a different kind of leader, with a passion that goes beyond leading the company he co-founded, Root Inc., to success. For more than 20 years, he has been helping organizations unleash hidden potential by fully engaging their people to deliver on the strategies of the business. With his background as a coach, it’s not a stretch that Root focuses on tapping employees’ discretionary efforts – the kind that produces winning results.

Jim believes that business results don’t come from creating a great strategy, but by meaningfully connecting it to all of the people in the company to bring it to life. That is the mindset he brings to his audiences and is also captured in Jim’s national best-selling book, “The Art of Engagement: Bridging the Gap Between People and Possibilities” (McGraw-Hill, 2008). This point of view continues in his latest book, ""What Are Your Blind Spots? Conquering the 5 Misconceptions that Hold Leaders Back,"" which he co-wrote with fellow leadership expert Rich Berens.

In addition to life as a speaker and author, he is also a co-founder and current Chairman of Root Inc. Root partners with senior teams at major companies worldwide to build creative ways to execute strategy. The Root team is made up of a unique blend of 119 business experts, analysts, artists, writers, and educators who work together to draw an organization’s people into the business by appealing to basic human curiosity and intelligence and by combining insights, art, visualization, and dialogue in innovative ways.

Root has been included for eight straight years on the Great Place to Work® Institute’s 25 Best Small and Medium Workplaces and in 2009, was listed as one of the"" Top Small Workplaces"" according to the ""Wall Street Journal"" and Winning Workplaces Inc. Root’s clients include some of the biggest names in business, such as Gap Inc., Petco, Dow Chemical, Pepsi, FirstEnergy, Taco Bell, and Hilton Hotels – more than 500 companies and tens of millions of people.

Jim lives in Sylvania with his wife, Michelle. They have three children, Brad, Brooke, and Blake. When he’s not traveling the globe visiting clients, he enjoys relaxing with his family at their lake cottage, golfing, fishing, photography, and attending Jimmy Buffett concerts.