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Coach Donnie Campbell is a math teacher and a high school basketball coach from Kansas who was plucked out of obscurity when Jason Sudeikis, the American actor and star of the 5-time Emmy Award winning show, revealed to Stephen Colbert on the late show that Campbell was in part the impetus for the lead character he plays with such wit and wisdom. It was back in the late 1990’s when Jason played basketball at Shawnee Mission West and Donnie was his coach. Little did Campbell know that all of the pearls of wisdom he was dropping on Jason and the team would appear years later and make an indelible impression on millions around the world.

In his powerful leadership keynote, Coach Donnie Campbell, the real-life inspiration for Ted Lasso, inspires audiences to discover their "MVP" - their mission, values, and principles to inspire individuals to reach their potential and teams to reach new heights.

Key Speech Themes:
-Leadership
-Teamwork
-Positive Culture

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Coach Donnie Campbell has been referred to as the inspiration for the character, ”Ted Lasso”.

Donnie Campbell

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No slides — fully conversational

Thoughtful & Conversational

Keynote

Thought Leadership

Culture & Connection

60 min

Insights + Action

Workplace Culture

Leadership

Team Building

Coach Donnie Campbell is not just an inspirational coach, but also in part, the impetus for the wise and ever so cheerful lead character of the Emmy Award Winning show, Ted Lasso. His colorful keynote provides valuable leadership lessons that can be seen on the court, but more importantly applied in the workplace.At a time when embracing your uniqueness is a rare quality, he shows how to define your core values while forming your mission, values and plan.This one-of-a-kind keynote is a real treat for the audience as it combines heartfelt storytelling with specific lessons in leadership that are just as successful on the basketball court as they are when applied in the real world. Donnie weaves together his personal stories of inspiration with tactical take-aways that are more than applicable and welcomed in today's challenging environment.Donnie’s presentation hits on the following leadership principles and more:Believe: In a world that seems to be defeating each person in some way,&nbsp; that there is a reason that people are attracted to kindness and good.MVP: You are your own most "valuable" player - but it's important to know your MVP - (mission/values/plan) as it builds the foundation for everything else.Motivation and Mentoring: if you are open to it, mentors can provide some of the most meaningful lessons, ones that you will carry with you for years (Donnie shares the invaluable advice he learned from others, how he still carries the knowledge with him today and uses it to motivate his players)Leadership: You continue to learn when you have a leader and then you learn even more when you become oneConfidence: A simple premise in theory, but it really has many layers - Donnie shares how to build it in yourself and othersKnow Your Why: When you are a great leader and you are clear on your “why” - the rest will take care of itself and you will get results beyond what you ever imagined.Success: Many ways to define success - but it all boils down to how you define it and what matters to you.Note: Throughout his presentation, there are several quick references to the Ted Lasso show and how Donnie feels about being the inspiration for the show.Takeaways:<ul><li>Know how to establish your own MVP. When you have a mission, values and a plan, you can be clear on your purpose, focus and make better decisions. This will help you succeed both personally and professionally.</li><li>Leadership comes in all forms. When you realize what each person brings to the team, you can find ways to motivate each of them individually, while also having them realize the importance of working together to reach their goals.</li><li>Recognize the importance of supporting future leaders as they learn the ropes and form their own set of values. It’s easy enough to tell them to have self-confidence and know their “why," but you also have to appreciate that it takes years of experience for someone to accomplish this.</li><li>Having a sense of inner humility can positively affect how you lead. It’s not found in big words, but rather it is found in character, how you look at life and how you treat others.</li><li>Developing people first through building character and trust will result in long-term success beyond short-term wins.</li><li>Purposeful and challenging practice builds communication, resilience, and improvement through managed failure.</li><li>Accountability starts from the top: admit mistakes, learn from them, and improve together to move forward.</li><li>A culture of respect, hard work, and teamwork unleashes potential where people value and support one another.</li></ul>

What’s Your MVP? Leadership Lessons from the Coach who Inspired Ted Lasso

Coach Donnie, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you in person last week. Thank you again for helping make the 2025 CMA Summer Leadership Conference a memorable and impactful event for our members. The feedback we've received from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive and your session hit nothing but net!

Daniel Espinoza - National Association of Manufacturers

A massive thank you to the American Boiler Manufacturers Association for organizing such a valuable and energizing event — and to Donnie Campbell, the real-life inspiration behind Ted Lasso, not only for the picture but also for sharing your story and leaving us all with a boost of optimism and purpose.

Dacoda Davis - North America at Suntec Industries

Thank you again for being part of our Annual Meeting and Convention—it was truly a pleasure to have you on the program. We were thrilled to welcome 544 attendees this year. Many of them joined your session, and more importantly, they were genuinely engaged with your message. It's rare to see an audience so attentive—often we see people distracted by their devices or stepping out early—but that certainly wasn’t the case during your presentation.

It was a joy to work with both you and Kelly in putting this together. From a meeting planning standpoint, having a strong, proven presenter makes all the difference.

Donnie Campbell

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