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Drew Dudley
Drew Dudley is a Canadian speaker, author and educator as well as the founder and chief catalyst of Day One Leadership, an educational service provider that empowers individuals and organizations to recognize and create leadership every day. As of August 2020, his TED Talk “Everyday Leadership: The Lollipop Moment” has been viewed almost five million times on TED.com and over six-and-a-half million times on the web combined.

His work has been featured by Forbes, Money , Entrepreneur , Radio America, and Business Insider where his TED talk specifically has been listed as one of the speeches that will make you a better human being.

His 2018 hardcover book, This Is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters, was an international best-seller in the United States and Canada having appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times , and The Toronto Star lists and has since been published in trade paperback format.

Career
A graduate of Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada, Dudley started his professional career as the volunteer national chair of one of Canada’s largest youth charities, Shinearama , which mobilizes 35,000 volunteers from 40 post-secondary institutions annually to raise money in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Concurrently, in 2003, he also began a 7-year stint at the University of Toronto working as first a fundraiser and then managing the leadership development program at the Scarborough campus. His work through the leadership program was recognized numerous times for exceptional contributions to student development outside the classroom. Upon leaving the UofT in 2010 to pursue speaking full-time, a small-group of Scarborough students inspired by his insights on leadership nominated Dudley to speak at the second Toronto TEDx event. It was this talk that went viral as “The Lollipop Moment” and helped him propel him into the public’s eye.

Since then, Dudley founded Nuance Leadership Development Services Inc., a company focused on helping organizations and individuals to build leadership capacity. In 2016, Dudley transitioned the business to be called Day One Leadership to reflect the newfound focus of his work. His clients have included some of the world’s largest companies including McDonald’s, Proctor & Gamble, JP Morgan Chase, and the United Way, as well as hundreds of colleges and universities.

The Lollipop Moment
In his now-famous TED Talk, Dudley challenges traditional perceptions of the use of the term 'leader' by linking it to everyday behaviors that create positive impact for both the individual and those around them. In doing so, he leverages stories from his past—including the sharing of a lollipop to calm the insecurities of a scared first-year student at his alma mater—to demonstrate that leadership is rooted in common, daily actions and is thus something we all can and should aspire towards.

Inspired in part by Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk on whether schools kill creativity and how our traditional views of the world sometimes limit our capabilities, the talk immediately went viral—first on YouTube and then eventually on TED.com when it was added later. This exposure led to Dudley appearing at further TEDx talks to share insights on his work, and a full-time speaking career that has resulted in him inspiring hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

This is Day One
In 2018, Hatchette Books published Dudley’s first book This is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters. In addition to being an international best-seller, This is Day One was shortlisted as one of the business books of the year by CEO Reads in the United States and Chapters Indigo in Canada.

In the book, Dudley presents leadership through a behavioral lens by arguing that it is a cyclical journey tied to one’s everyday beliefs and actions. Dudley argues that this journey begins on “Day One,” which then repeats itself everyday based on the individual’s ability to replicate positively impactful behaviors that have been created through a process he calls “operationalizing leadership values.” He describes this process in the book and his talks as identifying, defining and creating questions to evaluate one’s personal values.

To expound the success of his approach, Dudley shares how the process led him through personal battles with alcohol, obesity, and personal loss, and leverages external research to show that an individual’s commitment to their daily behaviors and choices is proven to help make them a better leader and inspire others to do the same.

Day One Direct Leadership Program
To further support audiences in adopting his work, Dudley currently offers Day One Direct, an online and interactive leadership training program that acts as a self-guided tutorial in utilizing the ideas and philosophies from his talks and book. As of Spring 2020, the program has been offered for a reduced rate with all proceeds going to front line healthcare workers fighting against COVID-19.

The Day One Fund
To ensure that finances never stand in the way of audiences being able to benefit from his work, Dudley created The Day One Fund to support organizations with limited financial resources in being able to connect and engage with him. As a result of the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the Day One Fund has now been expanded to all types of organizations for virtual leadership development services specifically.

WOAH
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dudley wanted to be able to shine a spotlight on individuals who were creating positive impact for themselves and others. He thus launched The Wall of Amazing Humans (WOAH) online. Intended to reinforce his belief that “leadership recognized is leadership created,” The WOAH provides a space for individuals and organizations to recognize the people in their lives who inspire, motivate, and support them each day.

Personal Life
Dudley has been open about how his travel schedule and an undiagnosed bipolar disorder led to binge eating and drinking which fueled his struggles with his weight and personal well-being. His efforts to deal with the adverse effects of mental health, obesity and alcoholism were referenced in part in This is Day One.

Published Works
2018: This Is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters. Hachette Book Group. 272 pp. ISBN-13: 9780316523066