Writer / Speaker
Jeff King
Writer / Speaker
About
I've had 39 jobs.
Banana farmer. Bass player on a cruise ship. Stockroom assistant. Sales floors, and eventually senior leadership at a multinational travel company. I've been promoted, overlooked, and fired twice. I'm dyslexic, so for a long time I assumed writing a book was something other people did.
That messy path turned out to be the qualification. Along the way I learned what actually helps people do their best work, and what quietly pushes them away. I learned it the hard way, by getting plenty of it wrong first.
These days I'm a senior commercial leader in the tourism industry with an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business. But the thing I care about most hasn't changed since my very first team: creating places where people feel trusted, valued, and proud of what they do.
I write and speak about leadership the way it actually happens. The awkward conversations, the hard calls, the days you get it wrong. No frameworks to memorise. Just the honest version, and thats what matters most.
Publications
Most people step into leadership because they're good at their job. Very few are ever shown how to lead.
I wrote Stand for Something for the person I used to be: someone who cared about their people but felt the constant pressure to perform, and who felt the tension between doing what's right and doing what's expected.
This is leadership as it actually happens, including all the awkward moments, difficult decisions, and meaningful conversations. Through honest stories and my own mistakes, it works through trust, motivation, loneliness, pride, and the choices that define who you are as a leader over time.
What makes it different is how simple it is. There are no frameworks to memorise or formulas to follow. Just practical, human insights you can use on a normal Tuesday.
After reading it, you'll be able to:
- Lead with greater clarity and confidence in the tough moments.
- Build trust and motivation that outlast short-term results.
- Make decisions that match your values, even under pressure.
- Create a place where people choose to give you their best.
Leadership isn't about standing above people. It's about standing for something.
Book me to speak
I don't do a standard corporate keynote. I'm not going to stand on your stage and pretend I've got it all figured out.
What I do instead is tell the truth about leading people, the funny parts, the painful parts, and the lessons I only learned by getting it wrong first. I've been fired twice, and I have learned more from that than any promotion. I've led teams I was proud of and made calls I still regret. Audiences remember it because it's honest, it's human, and somewhere in it they recognise themselves.
As a speaker, I give your people permission to be honest about the hard parts of work, and leave with practical ways to perform better because of it.
What I speak about:
The Truth Is the Truth: Why honest teams outperform polished ones. How the small acts of hiding the truth, the "I'm fine" in a one-on-one, the rose-tinted report, quietly cost you your best people and your best decisions, and how to build a team where the truth is safe to say.
Fired: What getting let go taught me about leading people. My two firings, what they felt like, and what they taught me about accountability, resilience, and helping others through their own setbacks. Its braver and funnier than it sounds.
The Loneliest Promotion: Leadership, isolation, and the cost of always having it together. The loneliness almost every leader feels and almost none of us talk about, why it happens, and what to do about it.
I also speak on Stand for Something, my signature talk on leading with care, courage and consistency, and Promoted on Friday, Leader by Monday, on actually developing the people you promote.
How I work with you:
Every talk is tailored to your team. Tell me who's in the room and what you're wrestling with, and I'll shape the session around it, whether that's a conference keynote, a leadership offsite, a workshop, or MC'ing your event. I've spoken to audiences of all sizes, and I'm just as comfortable in a boardroom as on a main stage.
If you want to bring the ideas in the book to life for your team, Let's have a conversation.
Feedback
"This book gave me a lot to think about regarding what makes a truly effective leader. Not just someone who gives direction, but someone who listens, communicates well, shows empathy, and brings out the best in others."
"Jeff King writes from experience rather than from a pedestal. Some of the strongest parts of the book are actually the moments where he talks openly about getting leadership wrong, what those decisions cost, and what he learned from them. That vulnerability makes the lessons around trust, honesty, motivation, authenticity and putting people before tasks feel earned rather than preached."
"It’s practical without becoming a textbook, thoughtful without disappearing into leadership jargon, and personal enough that you find yourself reflecting on your own behaviour as you read."
"Overall, I found the book insightful, relatable, and enjoyable. It has given me a different perspective on leadership and reminded me of the kind of leader I would want to be or want to work for. "