Jim Knight
- Business Culture Catalyst
- Former Hard Rock International Executive
- Author of “Culture That Rocks!”
Travels From
Florida
Jim Knight Speaker Biography
A Training & Development veteran for 30+ years, Jim Knight facilitates on a variety of interactive topics, including sessions around amping up organizational culture, world-class differentiated service, building rock star teams and leadership.
Jim cut his teeth in the training field through the Hospitality industry, starting out in the snack bar at Gatorland Zoo, as a restaurant staff-level employee for Olive Garden and then as a host & manager at Hard Rock Cafe. He eventually became the head of the School of Hard Rocks, running point on all global learning & development functions for Hard Rock International.
Although part of a small training group that supported all cafe, hotel & casino properties, Jim Knight’s role at Hard Rock involved many facets of organizational training, including: creating/managing all staff & management training materials & programs, facilitating its corporate university, overseeing management training locations, producing training videos, directing company e-Learning initiatives, facilitating leadership transitions and traveling to properties to deliver on-site classes & measure standards.
Jim has put his experience and creativity to work, which has consistently developed cutting-edge training concepts. During his time with the Hard Rock brand, his team won coveted video Telly Awards (“Guest Service” in 2000, “Menu Rollout” in 2007, “Harassment & Discrimination Prevention” in 2008), garnered Training Directors Forum’s 1998 prize for “Reengineering Training” and won Brandon Hall’s Gold Best in Class Award for their “Service Recovery” e-Learning course. Jim Knight was also recognized by Training Magazine as representing one of the Top 125 training companies in the world out of all industries & businesses. Jim has since been featured in Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News, Business News Daily and Fox Business News.
Jim has a music degree in Vocal Performance & Education and taught in the Florida public school system for 6 years, before catching the “hospitality bug”. He is a lifetime member of CHART (an Association of Hospitality Trainers), previously sat on the Certification Governing Board of the National Restaurant Association and started a local networking group (The Training Summit: CHART’s 1st Regional Training Forum) with over 100 active members in Central Florida, to share best practices and discuss common issues with other industry professionals.
Jim is the Owner & CEO of Knight Speaker, which positions him to facilitate at any association or company event, in any industry, as a keynote or breakout speaker. He is also the best-selling author of Culture That Rocks: How to Revolutionize Your Company’s Culture, now in its 2nd edition, which was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “5 Books That Will Help You Transform How You Do Business”.
Along with his business partner, Brant Menswar, Jim hosts a weekly leadership podcast called, Thoughts That Rock, which includes a rock star guest and presents 2 life-changing pieces of advice in 30 minutes. Finally, Jim and Brant offer a leadership training program called, Certified Rock Star, as an edu-taining, Rock ‘n Roll-inspired experience for leaders looking to amp up their business in a variety of areas.
A portion of Jim Knight’s book sales, podcast revenue, speaking fees and training program proceeds goes to No Kid Hungry to eliminate childhood hunger in the U.S. and Cannonball Kids’ cancer, which funds innovative, accessible research for children fighting cancer with better treatments, quality of life and options for those told they have run out of options.
LEADERSHIP THAT ROCKS: Top Leadership Initiatives that will Immediately Deliver Sustainable Results
Keynote speaker, podcaster and bestselling author, Jim Knight will act as a thought-starter for the session. He will use the visceral backdrop of Rock ‘n Roll to discuss key strategies to implementing initiatives for leading others to produce desired results.
Key Unique Concepts will include:
• Enhancing Employee Engagement
• Producing a Virtuous Environment
• Amping Up Communication
• Creating an Army of Giants
• Mentorship & Accountability as Pillars
• Becoming Heart-Centered
• Utilizing Emotional Bank Accounts
• Philanthropy as Instrumental
• Effectively Dealing with Change
• Staying Resilient in Trying Times
Culture That Rocks: How To Amp Up Or Revolutionize A Company's Culture
This interactive session is effectively designed to highlight best practices to enhance or revolutionize a company’s culture and stay relevant in the 21st century.
Keynote speaker, podcaster and best-selling author, Jim Knight will act as a thought-starter for the session. He will use the visceral backdrop of several well-known brands, including Hard Rock International, via his 21-year run with that brand as the head of Training & Development, as a platform to discuss key strategies to transform any organization’s culture, regardless of the current state.
Key Unique Concepts will include:
• A clear-cut definition of Culture (finally!)
• Enhancing Internal Communication
• Delivering Service Differentiation
• Avoiding Acceptable Mediocrity
• Creating Guest/Customer Obsession
• Increasing Value Proposition
• Hiring & Developing “Rock Stars”
• Taking Personal Ownership
• Effectively Dealing with Change
• Staying Resilient in Trying Times
Service That Rocks: How To Create A Differentiated Experience To Deliver Sustainable Results
This interactive session is effectively designed to highlight best practices to amp up the company’s customer service culture. The end-result of everyone who attends is to ultimately provide such unbelievable customer obsession about the “product” offering, that it influences consumers to come back for more. This requires differentiation from that of competitors or the status quo.
Keynote speaker, podcaster and best-selling author, Jim Knight will act as a thought-starter for the session. He will use the visceral backdrop of several well-known brands, including Hard Rock International, via his 21-year run with that brand as the head of Training & Development, as a platform to set the stage for us to get into the memory-making business.
Key Unique Concepts will include:
• Embracing a Differentiated Service Mentality
• Virtuous vs. Vicious Cycles
• Creating Raving Fans
• Becoming Guest/Customer-Obsessed
• Building Mental Shelf Space
• Increasing Value Proposition
• Avoiding Acceptable Mediocrity
• Empowering “Rock Stars”
Building a Rock Star Team
How you attract, hire, train, develop and treat your front-line employees is commonly known as the one true strategy to provide stellar results—internally & externally. In lieu of managers doing all of the work themselves, a specific culture must be created & fostered to secure commitment from the “right fit” employees to stick around and deliver those desired results.
Keynote speaker, best-selling author and podcaster, Jim Knight will act as a thought-starter for the session. He will use the visceral backdrop of several well-known brands, including Hard Rock International, via his 21-year run with that brand as the head of Training & Development, as a platform to discuss key strategies to build a strong rock star team.
Unique Concepts will include:
• Best Practices in the Employee Life Cycle
• Hiring & Retaining “Rock Stars”
• Designing Collateral - Print Materials, Job Aides, Video, Technology & Social Media
• Utilizing the Power of Storytelling
• Creating an Army of Giants
• Coaching & Counseling Techniques
• Developing Mentorship
