Javier is an eminent cognitive psychologist, and an authority in leadership development. He challenges the conventions of talent management, arguing it’s not about hiring the right types or imposing change. Instead the focus must be on creating the culture to drive change. He also shows that the most successful leaders align their beliefs, promises and actions. We become so intent on short-term results that we start to forget there is purpose as well as profit.
Javier Bajer is a Cultural Architect, cognitive psychologist and one of the foremost specialists in leadership performance and behavioural change. He focuses on helping organisations change old habits in order to allow new strategies to work.
Starting his career at Accenture, Javier moved to set up the Talent Foundation. He has since worked with senior executive teams and boards from the World Economic Forum and dozens of blue chips. He also founded Project Red Stripe (an innovation and teamwork ‘incubator’) for The Economist, and has recently returned as CEO of the Talent Foundation.
Whatever one’s role in the workplace, we can all either be leaders or victims. Javier explains that the true definition of leadership is ‘the ability to create movement and deliver value.’ The opposite, victimship, is the tendency to find reasons to justify why things can’t be changed. Javier believes organisations should not simply look to hire ‘personality types’ and then teach them relevant skills. Successful leaders do not pretend they are like someone else; they have a powerful alignment between their beliefs, intentions, promises and actions.
In his presentations and workshops, Javier explores the fundamentals of human behaviour and shows how successful change can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. He highlights ways to inspire trust, work efficiently as a team, deal with difficult conversations, increase employee engagement and improve commitment. With a humorous and challenging approach, he leaves audiences wanting to take immediate action.
Javier is a member of the RSA Council, a professor of Culture Change and a Visiting Fellow of the Business School at the University of Surrey. He is the Editor-in-Chief for Strategic HR Review, chairs and addresses international conferences and frequently contributes to media coverage of business culture.