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"This was the best presentation at a Spiceworld I can remember. It was informative, captivating, and practical. So many relatable moments as well as the comparison of IT to living systems was something I'll be ruminating on for some time."
Dave Guenther | Systems Administrator
Meet Nate Payne
Nate Payne is a Leadership Strategist, Technology Consultant, Speaker, Author, and creator of Living Systems Leadership.
With a bold message rooted in the principles of living systems, Nate challenges the conventional notion that leadership success must be forced or chased. Instead, he reveals why true leadership is about cultivating an environment where success emerges organically and sustainably.
Combining powerful insight with practical guidance, Nate equips leaders at every level with the mindset and tools to think differently, act decisively, and lead with conviction.
His sessions offer more than just inspiration, they provide a practical path for building high-performing teams, making better decisions, and designing organizations that survive and thrive...naturally.
In a world craving clarity and purpose, Nate leaves his audiences with a simple yet transformative idea: The future of leadership belongs to gardeners—not mechanics.
"Your living systems based mathematically quantifying priorities gives me the tools to justify budget items in a clear manner, and set priorities for the work IT will do. I am very excited to put this into practice!"
Sarah Cuny | AVP, Information Technology
Nate's Signature Talks
Nature’s Blueprint For
Leadership Excellence
In a world where everything is moving faster, Nate makes the case for ecological thinking as the key to smarter leadership, better decision-making, and long-term resilience.
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How to identify the hidden keystones that are critical to your organization's survival.
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Creating real-time feedback loops to enhance adaptability and resilience.
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Why measuring connection interaction strength is critical to optimizing resource allocation.
Why The Best Leaders
Think Like Gardeners
In this talk, Nate challenges the status quo by proposing that real leadership success emerges when we nurture the conditions that allow it to flourish naturally.
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Why our greatest leadership failure is how we've been taught to define leadership.
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How adopting a living-systems mindset can turn leadership failure into leadership success.
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5 gardening principles that help leaders overcome self-doubt and silence imposter syndrome.
Fearless Decisions: Leading Without Guilt or Regret
In this talk, Nate exposes the hidden forces that cloud decision-making, and how living systems hold the key to fearless, grounded leadership in uncertain times.
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The three questions every leader must ask themselves before making a decision.
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Why the biggest threat to our success is lurking in our own head.
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How quantifying connections and interactions can help leaders better understand the ripple effects of their decisions.
"Thanks so much for your seminar on IT Leadership. It was great, very helpful. And lots of very interesting ideas I’d never thought of before. The whole concept of the keystone species was fascinating"
Kendal Sommers | Chief Information Officer