Jim Craig Speaker Biography
Goaltender, 1980 Gold Medal Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, President and Founder, Gold Medal Strategies and Author
Leadership expert Jim Craig is best remembered for his outstanding goaltending in the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 winter Olympics. In what has been labeled the greatest sports moment of the 20th century, the United States hockey team beat the heavily favored Russians and went on to win the Olympic gold medal. The legendary tale of the team led by Jim Craig was immortalized in the Disney feature film “Miracle”.
Business
Today, Craig is president of Gold Medal Strategies, a Boston-based motivational speaking and sales training company and the author of the business book Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons from America’s Miracle Team. The book outlines the necessary skills and details the specific techniques you need to maximize your business readiness, hone competitive cooperation, gather your strategies, and attack your challengers.
Motivation
An in-demand motivational speaker, spokesperson, marketing and sales strategist, and master storyteller, Craig has inspired, instructed, and provided strategic and winning direction for employees and associates from more than 500 organizations and some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Coca-Cola, Coors, Walt Disney, Fidelity, Dunkin’ Donuts, John Hancock, KPMG, NBC, Ocean Spray, Evergreen Financial, Sun Life Financial.
Olympic Teamwork
Drawing upon his experiences as both a world-class athlete and as an accomplished businessman, Olympian and leadership speaker Jim Craig reveals how commitment, preparation, purpose, and effort melded 20 individuals into a winning Olympic team.
Special Operations Warrior Foundation
In addition to his role with Gold Medal Strategies, Jim serves as a board member of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and he has a passion for leveraging his athletic and business success to help others achieve their full potential and lives in integrity with his mission every day!
Jim Craig Speaking Topics
Power of Teamwork
Very few things great are done alone. Epic achievement is almost always the result of successful and enduring collaboration. Jim explains and details the elements of winning teamwork. He provides specific examples from the experience of the U.S. “Miracle on Ice” hockey team, and how it confounded the experts, made history … and made it to the top of the podium.
Meticulous Recruiting
Jim will provide you with insights on how to recruit the right people, how to put them in the right positions, and how to pull greatness out of each individual to contribute to a bigger goal.
Commitment to Excellence
Jim has studied … and continues to study and research … what inspires the pursuit of excellence in those who achieve greatness. He describes what is it that separates those content with good enough, and with all right, and with the okay … and those who have an unquenchable thirst and drive to make history and establish the highest standards.
Shared Dream
Success happens when you believe in winning then you prepare to make it happen. Great Teams accomplish more than great individuals, no one is bigger than the team. Jim shows you how to win collectively vs. individually.
Real or Invented Enemy
Jim believes that the main rival you should compare yourself to is the performer that you were yesterday. He will challenge you to have to make your team every year.
Winning Underdogs
Jim uses his past experiences in both the athletic and business worlds to show how to use the underdog status as a powerful tool. He explains why failure isn't fatal but being afraid to fail is.
Jim Craig Books
Gold Medal Strategies: Business Lessons From Americas Miracle Team
Purchase BookJim Craig Videos
Jim Craig Speaker Testimonials
Jim has a unique gift as a storyteller. He’s a very perceptive speaker who can easily adapt his messages to the audience. We would welcome the opportunity to leverage Jim again in the future.
- | DuPont Fabros Technology
The overall consensus from our leaders was that Jim was truly one of the best outside speakers with whom we have worked. In fact, our firm has engaged Jim more than once, truly a testament to his abilities.
- | Deliotte Tax LLP
Watching you work is a pleasure. You’re driven, you are committed, and the way you reach people is something special to observe. You have a wonderful way of weaving a story that captures the attention of your audience, and the lengths you go to personalize moments makes it all very special.
- | W L Gore & Associates