John Foley | Worldwide Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker, Bestselling Author, Corporate Trainer, Former Lead Solo Pilot for the Blue Angels, Stanford Fellow, "Mindset Master," Podcast Host

John Foley

Worldwide Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker, Bestselling Author, Corporate Trainer, Former Lead Solo Pilot for the Blue Angels, Stanford Fellow, "Mindset Master," Podcast Host

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John Foley
Biography

What if the legendary Blue Angels Culture of Excellence could be replicated and scaled?

John "GUCCI" Foley is Recognized as One of the Top 10 Most In-demand Keynote Speakers, Who Creates an Experience of a Lifetime!

At 12, John saw the plane that sparked his dream to become a pilot. Little did he know that he would end up flying in the movie, Top Gun!

For nearly 20 years, he was a Commander in the US Navy and became a Naval Aviator. As the lead solo pilot of the elite U.S. Navy Blue Angels, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart!

He relied on a culture of high trust, leadership, and teamwork to survive in those circumstances. John employs the intense realities of his aviation career as a metaphor to inspire - breathe life into - teams to reach for their highest potential and sustain excellence under dynamic change.

Known for his attitude of gratitude that he calls the Glad to Be Here® mindset, John shares: "This isn't something I say at events, this is my way of being! It’s where passion meets presence & purpose and is about connecting the heart and head as key attributes of a high-performance mindset & Team Emotional Intelligence."

John impacts his audiences by helping them develop a sense of gratitude and new perspectives to recognize opportunities versus simply focusing on challenges! He shows others how to answer the questions: why am I doing something, and why does it matter?

John "Gucci" Foley's Accomplishments and Achievements include:

- Delivered his extraordinary message at over 1500 events to over 1 million people.
- Bestselling Author of Fearless Success
- Known as the 'Gratitude Guru'
- Creator of the "Glad to Be Here® Mindset" Movement
- Created The Diamond Performance® Framework.
- Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy-BSME- Engineering
- Defensive Back for the Midshipmen playing in two bowl games, helping the Navy to one of the best four-year records in football history
- Lead Solo Pilot for the Navy Blue Angels- his Call Sign is” GUCCI”
- Commander U.S. Navy
- Pilot in Top Gun Movie
-U.S. Naval War College-National Security and Strategic Studies- Leadership
-Masters in management, Sloan Fellow- Stanford Graduate School of Business

John Foley's Most Requested Keynote Topics of Experiences include:

CULTURE - Creating a Culture of Excellence and a Culture of Caring
LEADERSHIP - Powerful Performance Leadership
TRUST - Unwavering Trust
TEAMWORK - The Power of Teamwork
INNOVATION - Innovation and Performance in Transformation
MINDSET - Elevated Beliefs and Raising Performance Expectations
"Glad to Be Here® Mindset"
The Diamond Performance® Framework

John's Clients include some of the highest-performing organizations in the world such as: Google, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Goodyear, Chevron, Lowe's, Marriott, Hilton, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA, Penske Racing, Sprint, Motorola, Merrill Lynch, Mass Mutual, AMC Theatre, Norton LifeLock, Capital Group, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, GE, American Hospital Association, Mayo, Merck, Palo Alto Networks, Sunovion, General Dynamics, Gillette, McDonald's, Stanford Business School, Global Sports Summit, Million Dollar Round Table, and numerous CEO Summits to name a few.

In 2011 John founded the Glad To Be Here Foundation. He donates 10% of his speaking fees to charities through the foundation. The program has donated over $2 million to 380+ charities and impacted thousands of lives globally including sponsoring 47 children in 47 countries. It's part of his mission to connect a shared ‘purpose larger than self’ with every organization.

In 2011 John founded the Glad To Be Here Foundation. John donates 10% of his speaking fees to charities through the foundation. The program has donated over $2.5 million+ to 455+ charities and impacted thousands of lives globally including sponsoring 57 children in 57 countries. It's part of his mission to connect a shared 'purpose larger than self' with every organization.

Are you looking for a Celebrity Keynote Speaker, who does not see himself as a celebrity? Whether In-person or Virtual, John "GUCCI" Foley interacts with his audiences to help them see that he truly is "Glad to Be Here" and then shares the mindset behind that statement with them. John will make your event "An Experience of a Lifetime!" To book this In-Demand Speaker, John "GUCCI" Foley please contact us!

John Foley
Featured Videos

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John Foley
Featured Keynote Programs

Powerful High-Performance Leadership 


The Blue Angel approach to leadership is unique and inspires trust through confidence, with open and honest communication. Every team member is a leader driving expectation.

John Foley is a top leadership keynote speaker and former Blue Angels solo pilot that challenges leaders to build trust, improve performance, and create elite teams.

Teams become elite because of leadership, a commitment to excellence and a proven process. As companies transform their DNA and pivot their business to compete in the new digital paradigm, the ability to develop transformational leadership and enable workforce evolution is a critical competitive advantage.

The potential of elite performance lives within every individual, every team, and every organization. It takes intentional leadership to enable that potential and turn it into focused action. How to lead your organization with vulnerability, empathy, and compassion!

Ignite a Culture of Excellence and a Culture of Caring

High Performance Mindset, is a process, and a commitment to a culture of excellence and a culture of caring that accelerates every day performance and achievement. It’s all about connection and extension!


High Trust – The Key to Execution

Picture this: two jets, on a collision course, 1000 mph rate of closure, and the goal is to miss the other jet by a wingspan. An extreme trust makes this maneuver possible, and when that relationship and process is transposed onto the world of business, the results are incredible.

How would your teams perform if there was complete inherent trust in each other and the organization? Implicit contracts are all around us. They bind our world together, and they are part of the natural fabric of any business.

Research shows that vocalizing contracts and establishing them in a formal agreement can lead to increased productivity because both employees and managers recognize the risk inherent in breaking trust contracts.

Acknowledging and improving these agreements can have substantial positive effects. Because contracts permeate the entire organization, turning your attention to them has the ability to elevate both trust in individuals and teams.

Contracts present an opportunity to build trust. Trust is well known as a necessary component—if not the most important variable—of successful teams.

Innovation In High Performance and Transformation – Adapt to Change


In the digital age, innovation and transformation surrounds us. Engaging with advanced mid-stream requires a unique mindset. Once you’ve arrived, how do you sustain change?

Every organization is faced with some form of transformation based on a changing and dynamic business environment. A global economy, changing consumer behaviors and the digitization of every industry has created tremendous pressure for companies. Today’s leading companies adapt and create competitive advantage in the process.

Organizations that lead through change succeed. The two key elements to success are a reiterative process and a shift in culture. The Diamond Performance Framework was built specifically to drive performance and create the mindset and commitment to a culture of excellence.

John Foley
Featured Book

Fearless Success: Beyond High Performanceby John Foley

Fearless Success: Beyond High Performance

by John Foley

AMAZON BESTSELLER IN BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

Are you ready to take your individual and team performance to the highest level? It's time to enter the High Performance Zone!

The quest for perfection is not only possible--it's actually our natural state, says author and former Blue Angel pilot, John Foley. Imagine what the same preparation and mindset that allowed him to fly in formation mere inches apart from another jet can do for you, your teams, and any organization. In Fearless Success, John Foley gives us the secrets that elite performers know and practice on a daily basis. 

How do you get from your current state to your future state? Going beyond high performance requires combining operational excellence with a proactive/positive mindset. The underlying ''Glad To Be Here'' ethos is at the core of everything Foley teaches. With this foundation in place, any individual or team looking to achieve greatness can easily understand and implement the author's tools and processes. Filled with lessons from his days as a Blue Angel and a leadership expert empowering over 1,000 companies, this book includes proven blueprints on how to--

  • Lead through change
  • Build high performance teams
  • Elevate belief levels
  • Execute with high trust
  • Unite a commitment culture

Fearless Success will change your outlook on business and life. Up we go!

John Foley
Featured Articles & Resources

JFI/CHG-Impacting Lives

Sharing with you of an impactful case study we got from a current customer who hired John at the very start of COVID and still going. WHO: Norma Diaz, CEO of Community...
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John Foley | 'Glad To Be Here' at Premiere

Over the course of his life, John Foley has accrued thousands of hours in the cockpit of F/18 jets under his belt as both an instructor pilot for The Marines and lead solo pilot...
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