Dov Seidman

  • Expert on Leadership, Purpose & Values, Innovation, and Principled Performance Culture
  • Author of 'HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything'
  • Founder, Chairman, & Chief Executive Officer of LRN
  • Moral Philosopher

Dov Seidman is a successful entrepreneur and CEO, bestselling author and writer, and a teacher. Seidman is the author of the New York Times bestseller HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything, which offers a philosophical framework for individual and organizational behavior in a world that is increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Most recently he founded The HOW Institute for Society, a global nonprofit that aims to elevate humanity by nurturing a culture of moral leadership, values-based behavior, and principled decision making.

Seidman has been named a “Game Changer” by TIME Magazine, a “Groundbreaker” by The New York Times, “One of the Top Thought Leaders of the Past Decade” by The Economic Times, and “the corporate whisper” by Fortune Magazine because of his “ability to take the challenges that CEOs and other leaders face in their day-to-day roles and place them in a broader context of decision-making.” Led by a lifelong pursuit and passion for ethical leadership, he became the exclusive partner of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Prize in Ethics in 2008, as the institution was in its 20th year of celebrating ethical decision-making among America’s youth. Seidman regularly writes about business behavior, leadership and corporate culture for Fortune Magazine and The New York Times.

“When you press the pause button on a machine it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings, they start.” – Dov Seidman

 



Dov  Seidman headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Chief Executives Organization
  • MAC4 Communications, LLC
  • The Motley Fool
  • McDonalds Corporation
  • Ferragamo USA
  • Pfizer Inc.
  • Washington Group International
  • United States Sentencing Commission
  • Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
  • UNMC
Rave Reviews About Dov Seidman as a Speaker
Dov’s session was one of the finest speakers we had in the 20 years of the Masters Forum. The content couldn’t have been timelier, the stories were fresh and spot on, and, best of all, Dov brought his whole self to the party and personally connected to the audience. The premise, ideas and model shared were great, but it is the stories that will cause people to remember what he said and change their lives for the better.

In Conversation - The modern imperative of modern leadership | Fortune-Time Global Forum [32:07] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Dov Seidman
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Leading in a Reshaped World

In a time of crisis, with people feeling frightened and uncertain, leadership doesn’t just matter more. It matters exponentially more. From business to politics, religion to sports, few Americans have more closely observed the changing nature of leadership than Dov Seidman. At a time of eroded trust ...

In a time of crisis, with people feeling frightened and uncertain, leadership doesn’t just matter more. It matters exponentially more. From business to politics, religion to sports, few Americans have more closely observed the changing nature of leadership than Dov Seidman. At a time of eroded trust in traditional institutions and authority, he draws a bold conclusion: we are in the midst of a moral crisis, when leadership itself has been disrupted. In this session, Seidman offers an equally bold call to arms, outlining the urgent need for a new kind of leadership rooted in moral authority. He identifies the five forces irrevocably shaping the world, and the four pillars of moral authority today’s leaders must embody: the pursuit of significant and noble purpose, the ability to inspire, unshakable values, and wisdom.

Finding Humanity in the Age of Machines

The rapid advances in artificial intelligence force us to grapple with a question that is both philosophical and deeply personal: What does it mean to be human in the age of intelligent machines? In this session, Dov Seidman shares the perspectives that have brought him renown as both a business lea ...

The rapid advances in artificial intelligence force us to grapple with a question that is both philosophical and deeply personal: What does it mean to be human in the age of intelligent machines? In this session, Dov Seidman shares the perspectives that have brought him renown as both a business leader and moral philosopher, weaving together insights on modern-day technology and business with timeless wisdom — from Aristotle and Heraclitus to Adam Smith and David Hume. Our present revolution, Seidman explains, is not only one where we will need to rethink the nature and structure of our industries and institutions, but also one where we will need to create new systems that put humanity at the center and come to grips with the transformative implications of such a change.

Trust: The Ultimate Performance-Enhancing Strategy

Trust is a funny thing, one of those soft things that we often rush by. What’s not so funny is how often it lies at the center of our challenges and opportunities. That is because trust allows us to function in times of uncertainty. Business has long known about the benefits of trust, but absent any ...

Trust is a funny thing, one of those soft things that we often rush by. What’s not so funny is how often it lies at the center of our challenges and opportunities. That is because trust allows us to function in times of uncertainty. Business has long known about the benefits of trust, but absent any real metrics or data found itself at a loss to be able to do anything about it. In this session, Dov Seidman, called the “hottest advisor on the corporate virtue circuit,” by Fortune Magazine and one of the “Top 60 Global Thinkers of the Last Decade” by The Economic Times, shares insights from more than 20 years of visionary business leadership and reveals fundamental truths about trust, with an emphasis on how to build a culture of trust that fosters strong relationships, boosts individual performance, and helps organizations gain a competitive advantage

Shared Values for Shared Value

Social, religious, political, geopolitical, environmental, human, ethical, and even existential issues that were once considered tangential to doing business are now inescapably central on its agenda. In this fused world, the business of business can no longer just be business. Everything is now per ...

Social, religious, political, geopolitical, environmental, human, ethical, and even existential issues that were once considered tangential to doing business are now inescapably central on its agenda. In this fused world, the business of business can no longer just be business. Everything is now personal; the business of business is therefore society. Mission and margin, profit and principle, success and significance are now inextricably linked. In the fused world, how we behave, how we operate, how we govern, and how we relate to people and communities matters more than ever. Going forward, businesses are going to compete on trust, on responsibility, and on creating and maintaining deep relationships with their stakeholders rooted in shared truths and values.

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Speaker News
<p>Dov Seidman regularly contributes leadership thought-pieces to Harvard Business Review</p>

Dov Seidman regularly contributes leadership thought-pieces to Harvard Business Review

In his latest article for HBR, Seidman asserts, "We've Forgotten What 'Greatness' Really Means." He explores the meaning of "Greatness" in light of endless pronouncements of America's greatness by the presidential candidates.

Read More...
<p><em><strong>How</strong> </em>is the Answer</p>

How is the Answer

Find out more about Dov Seidman's latest book and how How is not just a question.

Read More
<p>Learn more about HOW in the workplace</p>

Learn more about HOW in the workplace

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Books by Dov Seidman
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Biography

“When you press the pause button on a machine it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings, they start.” – Dov Seidman

Dov Seidman is a successful entrepreneur and CEO, best-selling author and writer, and a teacher.

He has devoted his life and professional career to making philosophy and philosophical frameworks practical in the business arena and across all sectors of society on a global scale.

Seidman is the author of the New York Times bestseller HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything, which offers a philosophical framework for individual and organizational behavior in a world that is increasingly interconnected and interdependent.

Most recently he founded The HOW Institute for Society, a global nonprofit that aims to elevate humanity by nurturing a culture of moral leadership, values-based behavior, and principled decision making. 

Today, the HOW philosophy is being used to impact how businesses operate, cities are run, soldiers are trained, school systems prepare their students and staff, and professional sports franchises use values for competitive advantage.

Prior, he spent more than 25 years as the CEO of LRN, a global ethics and compliance management firm he founded to inspire organizations to put purpose, trust, values, and ethics at the center of business endeavor.

Seidman has been named a “Game Changer” by TIME Magazine, a “Groundbreaker” by The New York Times, “One of the Top Thought Leaders of the Past Decade” by The Economic Times, and “the corporate whisper” by Fortune Magazine because of his “ability to take the challenges that CEOs and other leaders face in their day-to-day roles and place them in a broader context of decision-making.”

Led by a lifelong pursuit and passion for ethical leadership, he became the exclusive partner of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Prize in Ethics in 2008, as the institution was in its 20th year of celebrating ethical decision-making among America’s youth.

Seidman regularly writes about business behavior, leadership and corporate culture for Fortune Magazine and The New York Times.

After the collapse of Enron, Seidman testified before the U.S. Sentencing Commission arguing that corporations must move from a check-the-box, compliance-only approach to instead focus on fostering ethical cultures and behaviors. His proposals were adopted and today are the very standards by which companies, cultures and programs are judged.

Seidman attended UCLA simultaneously for both bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy. He then received another bachelor's degree from Oxford University in philosophy, politics and economics, where he was a Newton-Tatum scholar. He is also a graduate of Harvard Law School. Seidman gave the commencement address at UCLA College of Letters and Science.

Seidman is a member of the board of directors at the 92nd Street Y, The Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, and Planet Word. He also teaches as a Hauser Leader at Harvard University’s Kennedy School.

Seidman was honored with an honorary doctorate from The Hebrew Union College. He was given the Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League. He has also been presented with the Corporate Organizational Excellence in Organizational Development Award for demonstrating a 10+ year commitment to organizational development and effectiveness.