Steve Donahue

Steve Donahue's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
The Sahara is the world's largest and deadliest desert. Daytime temperatures soar to 140 degrees, while darkness brings bone-chilling cold. Blinding sandstorms rage relentlessly as scorpions and cobras await unsuspecting travelers. Yet, in the most dangerous, desolate place on earth, Steve Donahue discovers stunning beauty and inescapable truth.

Sahara Desert adventurer, author, drummer, storyteller; Steve Donahue is a one person 'tour de force'. His presentations combine fast paced humor with heart-stopping tales from his desert odyssey. Steve Donahue draws powerful parallels between his desert adventure and the journeys of corporate and personal life. He captivates audiences with his gripping tale that inspires, entertains and imparts ancient desert wisdom. Steve Donahue is an expert at making people laugh while they learn. But he can move an audience with a touching story as well. Donahue is a master at customization by crafting his message to reflect each client's uniqueness. A superb storyteller, Steve Donahue shares wisdom as old as humanity and never more relevant than today.

Steve Donahue's book, Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change, is based on his harrowing journey across the Sahara. Shifting Sands outlines six "Rules of Desert Travel" to guide readers through deserts of life and change. Soulful yet practical, it presents the desert as a metaphorical place of change, often re-defining the popular mountain-climbing metaphor that focuses on goal setting and achievement over the journey itself.

More About Steve Donahue . . .
Steve Donahue has addressed hundreds of corporations and tens of thousands of individuals on the subjects of personal and organizational change. His clients include AT&T, IBM, Pillsbury, Procter & Gamble, Bank of America, Ford and Volkswagen. In 1994, Steve was named a "Consummate Speaker of the Year" by Sharing Ideas Magazine (other winners included Margaret Thatcher and Tom Wolfe). Steve was the Executive Director of the Hoffman Institute of British Columbia from 1995-97.

The inspiration for some of Steve Donahue's speeches comes from his life-changing experience of crossing the Sahara Desert. These presentations are based on a metaphor that compares crossing the Sahara to change, teamwork and excellence. Throughout history the desert has been a symbol for change. The desert metaphor is a powerful comparison that everyone relates to. All of Steve Donahue's desert programs include a stunning slide show with inspiring music.

• A JOURNEY ON SHIFTING SANDS

  Much of life is like a desert; we get lost, we get stuck, we chase mirages and the journey seems endless. But we live in a mountain climbing society that is focused on the destination, getting to the summit. Steve reveals the 'Rules of Desert Travel' and shows how mountain climbing techniques don't work in our deserts of change. This refreshing presentation rethinks popular success strategies and shows how we can find purpose in our journeys, meaning in our deserts and renewal by stopping at our oases.

• THE OASIS EFFECT-The More You Stop the Farther You

  It's impossible to cross the Sahara without stopping at the oases. Desert travelers need to refuel, reflect on where they are headed and connect with others who are on the same journey they are on. This upbeat, entertaining presentation will show you why it is crucial for individuals and organizations to stop more often at the oasis and how to find them in the desert of our over-committed lives.

• BUILDING TEAMS ON SHIFTING SANDS

  This program deals with team morale and team effectiveness in a time of blistering change, free agent knowledge workers and competing generational values. Drawing lessons from the convoy he traveled with; their environmental challenges and interpersonal conflicts, Steve describes simple but powerful techniques that help teams travel in the same direction amidst a sandstorm of global transition.

• FOLLOW A COMPASS, NOT A MAP- Leadership in a world of shifting values

  A map is useless when you are lost. It also restricts your journey and can prevent you from finding a better way to travel. This powerful presentation shows how discovering and following your inner compass can help you lead yourself, your team or your organization across the drifting sands of change. Leaders learn how to inspire and guide others even when the destination is unclear and the route is uncertain.

• THE WAY OF THE COMIC WARRIOR

  How we perceive change and stress determines their effect upon us. Humor is a tremendous tool for reframing perceptions. This presentation combines the ability of humor to create a positive outlook on stressful situations with the benefits of nature's original stress reduction technique - laughter.