Jim Harris
Jim Harris is a one of North America’s foremost management consultants, authors and thinkers on sustainability, change, leadership. Association magazine ranked him as one of North America’s top ten speakers. As a management consultant Jim speaks internationally and conducts strategic planning sessions with executive teams, focusing on the most pressing issues:
- Sustainability as a strategic advantage
- How going green drives profitability
- Blindsided!
- Innovation, Creativity & Change
- Customer Relationship Management
- Cutting Carbon for economic advantage
- eLearning
- Future Trends
- Creating Learning Organization
Workshops on:
- Strategic planning amid complexity
- Creating Common Mission/Vision
- Teamwork
Jim has just become the program Director for the Centre of Excellence in Sustainability and Innovation just launched at the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) at the Schulich School of Business at York University, recognized as the leading school and university for sustainability by a number of different organizations worldwide.
Jim’s clients in the field of sustainability include:
- IBM – wrote a global white paper focusing on how low carbon leadership drives profitability
- Wal-Mart – attending its’ Quarterly Sustainability Meeting when Lee Scott was CEO in Bentonville
- Cleantech – the venture capital organization that defined and promoted green investing
- Governments on strategies for stimulating the growing the green economy
- Property developers – wanting to increase tenant retention
Some Professional Speaking & Consulting Highlights:
- International & National Bestselling author
- Rated one of the best professional speakers in North America
- Worked with prestigious clients including UK Cabinet Office
- One of the first 7 Canadians trained by Al Gore to give An Inconvenient Truth presentation
- And attended the World Economic Forum in Davos (2011, 2009, 2008)
- Syndicated weekly National Post columnist writing on energy efficiency driving profitability
- Represented Steven Covey in Canada teaching 7 Habits (1992-1996)
Mr. Harris was one of the first seven Canadians personally trained by Noble Prize winner Al Gore in Nashville to give his An Inconvenient Truth presentation. He gives these presentations free of charge.
Between February 2003 and September 2006 Jim served as the leader of the Green Party of Canada. During this time the party experienced exponential growth. In the 2004 election, his first leading the party, the Greens won more votes than all prior elections in its 21 year history. The party jumped from less than 1% of the vote in the 2000 election to a high of 14% in the polls, when 40% of all Canadians were considering voting Green.
When Mr. Harris became leader the Green Party used to operate on $25,000 a year and when he stepped down the annual budget was $2,500,000. Party membership jumped from 700 in 2002 to 10,000 when he retired. The party’s growth has been so dramatic that it forced the Liberal Party of Canada often called the “natural governing party” to adopt the central plank in our platform and use – implementing a carbon tax – as their central theme in the last Canadian election.
Half of Jim’s work is in the field of sustainability and the other half is in the field of leadership, change an innovaiton. His clients include Barclays Bank, Canon, Columbia Tristar Pictures, Deloitte & Touche, IEEE, International Council of Shopping Centers, Johnson & Johnson, Munich Re, Society of Professional Engineers, the UK Cabinet Office and Zurich Insurance.
Jim’s third book, Blindsided, is published in 80 countries worldwide and is a #1 international bestseller having hit the top position for business books on The Financial Times of London’s European edition. Soundview Executive Summaries, selected Blindsided! as one of the best business books of the year sending a summary to 80,000 executives worldwide. The Miami Herald calls Blindsided! “Brilliant stuff!” While Clare Hart, CEO of Factiva says it’s a “must-read for all senior executives.”
Jim’s second book, The Learning Paradox, was nominated for the National Business Book Award, and was ranked it as one of the top 10 business books in all of North America.
Mr. Harris also co-authored the national bestseller The 100 Best Companies to Work for in Canada. As a management consultant, Mr. Harris works with leading businesses, Fortune 500 companies, and organizations aspiring to join these ranks. From 1992-1996 he represented the Covey Leadership Center in Canada – teaching Dr. Stephen Covey’s work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
