Matt Lehrman
- Co-Founder & Managing Director of Social Prosperity Partners, facilitating collaborative problem solving
- Nationally acclaimed champion inspiring civility & community engagement
- Host of “Tell Me More,” the podcast of courageous conversations
Travels From
Arizona
Matt Lehrman Speaker Biography
Matt Lehrman is the co-founder and managing director of Social Prosperity Partners—an Arizona-based consulting firm dedicated to the proposition that “Where people work together courageously, their potential is unlimited.”
Matt’s passion and expertise is facilitating the strategic deliberations of governance councils, boards of directors, and management teams while meaningfully involving and gathering consensus from their various constituencies (i.e., residents, members, customers, audiences, and the community at large).
Matt launched his career in Washington, D.C. as a federal lobbyist for the real estate industry and evolved into sales and marketing leadership positions in the banking industry upon moving to Arizona as a newlywed in 1988. In 1995, Matt transitioned to a senior management position in the nonprofit arts & cultural sector and subsequently, in 2002, founded and served for the next decade as executive director of Arizona’s pioneering audience development collaborative known as Alliance for Audience and ShowUp.com
In addition to delivering inspiring keynotes and substantive workshops on topics of civility and collaborative leadership, Matt’s Social Prosperity Partners practice specializes in strategic planning services for cities, towns, and nonprofit organizations.
His Tell Me More… podcast is a forum for “courageous conversations” among people who disagree on political topics and social issues—and is available on Apple, Spotify, and all other podcast platforms.
From Conflict to Conversation
Disagreement isn’t only natural, it’s necessary. That’s why successful leaders must continually innovate their tactics to address complex and sensitive issues in ways that leave community members feeling welcomed, heard, and respected. Matt Lehrman inspires and instructs local leaders to be champions of civility, courage, and meaningful community engagement.
Takeaways:
Must disagreement be disagreeable? (Sometimes, yes!)
The virtue of making people feel welcomed, respected, and heard.
6 core values essential to every community.
How to convene community conversations that won’t blow up.
Civility isn’t just politeness, it’s community mindedness.
Audience comments:
“Matt put us in the shoes of the people we serve ... opened my eyes to new opportunities.”
“Informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining. Gave good insight.”
“Matt brings to the surface what's most important … there's always something that can be done to help.”
“Pointed, matter of fact, and satisfyingly interactive.”
A Community of Possibilities
How satisfied are you that your leadership skills can overpower distrust and division in order to join diverse populations in the pursuit of shared community aspirations? Matt Lehrman cuts through rampant skepticism and cynicism to deliver compelling and actionable insights into the ultimate responsibility of civic leaders to inspire productive and widespread community engagement.
Takeaways:
Generosity is always a choice.
3 strategies to seek common ground with fellow Council members.
Gain trust by inviting opinions and seeking advice.
Prepare to work with these 4 personality types in your community.
How to deal respectfully (but not get bogged down) with persistent naysayers.
Audience comments:
“It is critical that we build courageous conversations into the cycle of civic engagement.”
“This spoke to me not just as an elected official but also as a Presbyterian Pastor. So much of this information can be used to create civil conversations.”
“It was a very interactive presentation, full of laughter points as well as critical thinking moments. The presentation kept us completely engaged.”
Futurecast: A Collaborative Exercise in Forward-Focused Leadership
The future is unknowable, but it’s incredibly malleable. So, let’s elevate our focus beyond today’s worries and constraints and recognize how the world (and our communities) may soon be different. In a dynamic and 100% interactive exercise, local leaders will inspire each other to identify a variety of responsibilities and opportunities along with the leadership qualities necessary to bring them about.
Takeaways:
Why your organization's vision statement really matters.
8 ways the world will soon be profoundly different.
What 5 future-focused leadership skills you should develop now
How to gather & organize future priorities.
Where to find and eliminate 3 key points of friction that hamper agility and impede innovation in your organization.
Audience comments:
“Fast paced, dynamic, practical, and future-oriented. Extraordinary education.”
“It was reassuring to speak with others who are experiencing similar struggles—it gave me hope that maybe we can collaborate and do better.”
“Matt is a great workshop leader who made me comfortable and engaged right off the bat.”
“Dynamic workshop; love all the small group conversations—walking away with so many great ideas!”
