Reconnecting leadership to people and performance.

KEYNOTE TALKS FOR LEADERS, COMPANIES AND CONFERENCES

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Leadership conversations generally focus on strategy, structure, processes, and results. But performance is not created there first. It is created in how leaders show up every day: in behaviours, decisions, and the way people experience work.

The connection between leadership, people, and performance is often assumed, but rarely examined. When that connection is strong, organisations perform in ways that are both sustainable and human. When it breaks, the effects show up in execution, performance, everyday behaviour, and results.

These keynotes challenge how leaders think about performance, and show how leadership behaviour actually shapes the way people work, decide, and deliver. They bring clarity to how the connection between leadership, people, and performance is practical, grounded, and relevant to today’s workplace.

Watch Serkan’s TEDx Talk

Architect of Brilliance: Leadership for the Creative Brain

Keynote topics

How leaders shape the connection between people and performance.

Engagement and Ownership: SPARK the Engagement

Turn passive execution into proactive ownership and create energy, focus and commitment through everyday leadership behaviours

Ownership is not a programme. It grows when everyday leadership behaviour meets five human needs: Social bonding, Purpose, Accomplishment, Resonance and Communication. Serkan links the neuroscience of attention, motivation and emotion to behaviours any manager can use on Monday, moving people from passive execution to proactive ownership.

Best for: leadership conferences, management kick-offs, all-hands, offsites.

Culture: Reclaiming Psychological Safety

Build teams where people challenge ideas and learn from mistakes, without lowering standards

Psychological safety is not about being nice. It is how leaders make honest disagreement possible and accountability stronger. Based on his TEDx Sarajevo talk, Serkan shows how the brain’s threat response shuts down candour, and which everyday behaviours rebuild it.

Best for: executive teams, leadership offsites, culture and inclusion programmes.

Alignment: The Great Leadership Disconnect

Move strategy through levels and functions with healthy tension but without friction or drift, so execution gets faster

Strategy breaks down as it moves from the boardroom to front-line teams and across functions: Sales vs Product, Business vs HR, Strategy vs Operations. Based on his book, Serkan shows where misalignment is built into planning, targets, hiring and change, and what leaders do to close it.

Best for: executive teams, cross-functional offsites, strategy roll-outs, HR and People conferences.

Decision-Making: Decide Effectively Under Pressure

Prioritise and decide faster and with confidence under pressure and uncertainty—when time is short and everything feels urgent, so teams act instead of waiting

When everything is urgent, performance comes down to how the brain handles ambiguity and whether teams know who decides what. Serkan combines neuroscience and organisational behaviour to show how to build teams that decide with confidence, without waiting for permission or falling into analysis paralysis.

Best for: leadership offsites, management development programmes, sales and commercial kick-offs.

Adaptability: Leading Through Change, AI and the Future of Work

Lead people through change, AI and the future of work, turning resistance and fatigue into energy, resilience and momentum

Change succeeds when leaders work with the brain’s response to uncertainty, not against it. Serkan shows which leadership behaviours calm the threat response and build momentum, from AI adoption in people decisions to upskilling for the future of work.

Best for: HR conferences, transformation programmes, executive teams. Also available as: AI in HR | The Future of Work

Past Talks

TEDx Sarajevo

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Keynote speaker - May 16, 2026

TEGEP Learning & Development Summit

Istanbul, Turkey

Keynote Speaker - September 17, 2026

PowerToHR - 4

Pristina, Kosovo

Keynote Speaker - May 7, 2026

New HR Summit 2025

Istanbul, Turkey

Panel Moderator - September 24, 2025

HR and Total Rewards Conference

Athens, Greece

Keynote Speaker - June 6, 2025

PowerToHR - 3

Pristina, Kosovo

Keynote Speaker - April 3, 2025

Talent Leaders Workshop

Dublin, Ireland

Panelist - November 28, 2024

Partners Summit

Dublin, Ireland

Keynote Speaker - October 23, 2024

New HR Summit 2024

Istanbul, Turkey

Speaker, Fireside Chat - September 25, 2024

Operational Excellence Summit

Hamburg, Germany

Keynote Speaker - June 13, 2024

Talent Leaders Summit

Dublin, Ireland

Keynote Speaker - May 15, 2024

Humanizing AI in Workplace

Athens, Greece

Keynote Speaker - May 13, 2024

“I am honored for meeting Serkan Deveci, whose exceptional skills as a speaker are only surpassed by his deep knowledge, humility, and ability to inspire those around them. Serkan is not just an expert on organic brain science but he possesses a rare ability to communicate complex ideas in ways that are accessible, engaging, and inspiring to all audiences. Serkan was invited by Greek People Management Association (GPMA) in the annual forum as keynote speaker. Everyone felt his ability to balance remarkable charisma with an innate humility. His words carry weight not just because of his expertise, but because he delivered them with sincerity and an authentic care for others.” 

Maria Kolokytha, BoD Member VP at GPMA

“I have seen Serkan deliver his TEDx talk live at TEDxSarajevo , as well as his keynote at PowerToHR Global Summit – and his performances were superb on both occasions. His talks are clear, convincing and inspiring. Serkan combines scientific evidence, scholarly research with his own extensive experience – which leaves the audience feeling confident and empowered. I am looking forward to Serkan’s upcoming book and seeing more of his impressive thought leadership in the future!”

Larisa (Murtic) Halilovic, Advisory Board Member at TEDxSarajevo and Executive Coach

“I had the pleasure of working with Serkan Deveci, as the event producer for the Opex Hamburg 2024 event, hosted by Keynotion in Germany. As a keynote speaker, Serkan delivered a compelling session on leadership and employee engagement, blending neuroscientific insights with practical case studies applicable across all sectors. His ability to break down complex concepts and provide actionable strategies made a lasting impact on the audience. I highly recommend Serkan for any speaking engagement that values thought leadership, engagement, and real-world application.” 

Aderonke Adeyeye, Event Producer at Keynotion