EP811: Dr. Ken Keis - Building Your Thought Leadership
"If I'm here 20 years from now doing this exact same thing, is that okay? And I said, absolutely not." — Dr. Ken Keis
Most people don't leave the life they've outgrown because they're bad at it — they leave because they finally get honest about it. Dr. Ken Keis asked himself one question at 5:30 in the morning, standing on the dairy farm he'd built across the street from his parents, and that question changed everything. Not a vision board. Not a coach. Just one honest question about the future he was building by default.
Keis has spent nearly four decades helping people discover what they're actually built for. He overcame dyslexia, nearly failed high school, and was told by a ninth-grade teacher he'd never amount to anything. He went on to deliver more than 3,000 paid presentations, author multiple bestselling books, build 12 proprietary assessments, and lead Consulting Resource Group — a company with close to five decades of accumulated content on human development, leadership, and purpose. His PhD? He pursued it not for credentials but to prove to himself he could push past his own limits.
What comes through in this conversation is something rarer than a success story: a framework for how thought leaders actually build themselves. Keis describes the discipline of consuming two to three hours of ideas daily, the courage to seek coaching before it was fashionable, and why developing your weaknesses is highly overrated. He also draws a sharp line between asking for advice and asking for wisdom — and why most people confuse the two.
Dr. Ken Keis is president and CEO of Consulting Resource Group International. He is the author of The Quest for Purpose, Deliberate Leadership, and Why Aren't You More Like Me?, and has been a featured voice on leadership, personality, and holistic development for nearly four decades.
Learn more & connect:
Dr. Ken Keis — https://www.kenkeis.com
Free e-copy of The Quest for Purpose (exclusive link for TTLR listeners): https://www.kenkeis.com/ecircle
Consulting Resource Group: https://www.crgleader.com
Resources mentioned:
The Quest for Purpose — Dr. Ken Keis: https://www.kenkeis.com/ecircle
The Greatest Salesman in the World — Og Mandino (widely available)
Brain Energy — Dr. Christopher Palmer: https://www.brainenergybook.com
High Performance Habits — Brendon Burchard: https://www.brendon.com
Think and Grow Rich — Napoleon Hill (widely available)
Visit https://www.eCircleAcademy.com and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level.