Leader. Inspirational Speaker. Collecter of Penguins.
B I G F I S H P R E S E N T A T I O N S . C O M
Interview Series
Step up with
Drew Dudley

Formerly Director of one of Canada’s largest leadership develop-
ment programs, Drew also served as National Chair of Canada’s
largest post-secondary charity, mobilizing 35,000 volunteers an-
nually to support Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
Drew has spoken to over 250,000 people on 5 continents and his
TED talk has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED
talks of all time.” Time, Business Insider and INC. magazines
have all included his talk on their lists of “speeches that will
make you a better leader”.
Drew’s clients have included some of the world’s most dynamic
companies and organizations, including McDonald’s, Proctor &
Gamble, JP Morgan Chase, Hyatt Hotels, the United Way and
over 75 colleges and universities.
Drewisrecognizedasoneofthemost
dynamickeynotespeakersintheworld

(noun) /stans/
the attitude of a person or organization toward something; a
standpoint.
Meet the world’s greatest presenters and see where
they stand, on and off the stage.

What are the key
traits every human
being should have?
Question:

It would be easy to say “kindness” or “generosity,” but, its harder to
develop those traits when most of your time is spent simply on
survival. I think we have to remember how large a percentage of the
human race is in that situation.
That said, I would point to self-respect. When someone feels
self-respect, they are for more likely to show respect to
others.
Only hurt people hurt others. Anger, jealousy, fear, and the
negative actions that emerge from them almost always stem
from a lack of self-respect.
The better we are at helping ourselves and others develop
self-respect, the better off we will all be.
Answer:

Question:
You are possibly one of the kindest men on the planet.
Can you tell us a story of
when someone was
outrageously kind to you?

Answer:
Well, first off, I’m really not, but thank you. There
are people out there who are instinctively kind. It’s
in their DNA. My friend Danielle is one of those
people.
I get her tickets to her favourite musical? She rewrites the songs
into a thank-you note and hides it in my car. It must have taken
hours. She agrees to look after my apartment and I come home to
over a dozen little notes hidden around the place telling me what’s
awesome about me. I was finding them for days. It’s Christmas,
your birthday, a celebration of some kind? Your gift from her is
profoundly personal and will no doubt demonstrate that she has
paid close attention to the things most important to you.
The greatest kindness you can receive is an ongoing relationship
that allows for simple acts of kindness to build up over time.

Question:
When you walk into a
room, how do you make
yourself stand out?

Well, I wear a fedora, and have for 20 years or so.
I’ve stuck to that look not because it’s “in style” or “out of
style” but because it is simply “my style,” I love it. I own it,
am comfortable in it.
I let people discover that rather than worry about their
first impressions.
Answer:

What’s one habit you
think everyone
should make?
Question:

I believe everyone should identify the key values
they want to embody every day, and ensure that
they create a plan to engage in at least one action
each day that lives up to each value. An actual
piece of evidence you can present to yourself that
you were the person you hope to be each day.
Mostpeoplecan’ttellmewhy
theymatter,becausetheydon’t
proveittothemselveseachday.
Answer:

What's one change you
made in your life that
made A world of
difference?
Question:

Answer:
Imadeonebigdecisionto
makeaseriesofconsistent,
positivesmalldecisions
eachday.
Losing 100 pounds, quitting drinking, starting my own
company, all stemmed from a change in perspective: not
focusing on the desired outcome, but on the daily
behaviours that will lead to it.
Treat every day of your voyage to what you want as if it’s
the first one. It ensures the key foundational behaviours
necessary are never skipped over.
�

What’s a belief of yours
that others may
challenge you on?
Question:

Answer:
I once had a conversation with a friend who was in an abu-
sive relationship. She told me that every time she spent
time with her partner she felt sad, worthless, angry, judged
and judgmental. When I encouraged her to leave, she told
me “my life is just so entangled with his, it would be chaos
to leave.”
I realized I was in an abusive relationship with Facebook.
When I went to deactivate my Facebook, it showed me
pictures of my friends and said, “are you sure? Danielle will
miss you...Adam will miss you...” Some truly emotionally
manipulative shit.
And I did it anyway. And it was the best six months of my
life (after the first ten days or so). You can leave Facebook.
Prove it to yourself.

Everyone stands for
something, what do you
stand for?
Question:

I want to share that idea, and more
importantly I want to live that idea. I
stand for identifying what I have to
do on Day One of that process, and
then living every day like it’s Day
One.
I stand for a type of leadership to which we all
can and should aspire.
Answer:

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