John Amatt knows about tough times and the value of struggle in bringing out the best in teams of people! After all, he was a leader of an Everest team, which suffered four tragic deaths in two unpredictable accidents before putting six climbers on top of the world. His experience on Everest taught him about the danger of falling into the trap of complacency and the importance of always questioning the status quo in seeking new ways of succeeding in a rapidly changing world. He is the perfect speaker to assist your team in navigating through the turmoil of today’s global economic crisis.

A longtime resident of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, John Amatt is President of One Step Beyond WorldWide, an innovative educational and motivational company, whose mission is to encourage people to push beyond their self-imposed limitations, to be more personally accountable for the results of their own actions, and to embrace effective teamwork by valuing the contribution of others.

He is the Founder of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, a world-renowned annual event held in the Canadian Rockies and has been called “The World’s Best Adventure Speaker” by International Celebrity Management of Australia. In a 32-year speaking career, John Amatt has delivered more than 1,800 keynote presentations and seminars to corporate and professional audiences in 49 countries worldwide.

John’s topics include:

• NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH
  Challenging Change with the Adventure Attitude
• STRAIGHT TO THE TOP AND BEYOND
  Nine Keys for Meeting the Challenge of Changing Times
• CLIMBING YOUR OWN EVEREST
  What it Takes to Get to the Top
• MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE

John Amatt is renowned in the international mountaineering community for making the first ever climb of Europe’s highest and steepest mountain face – the 5000 foot “Vertical Mile” Troll Wall in Norway. In 1981, he was leader of the 1st Canadian climbing expedition to Western China, which used camels to approach a 24,757-foot mountain before skiing to the summit, this being perhaps the highest peak in the world to have been ascended and descended entirely on skis. And more recently, he was the principal organizer and a leader of Canada’s first successful expedition to reach the top of the world – the 29,035 foot summit of Mount Everest – a climb that was televised live throughout Canada and on ABC Nightline in the United States.

John Amatt’s adventures are related in his autobiography, Straight to the Top and Beyond, in which he uses the metaphor of his own adventures to develop a nine-step approach for scaling the heights in today’s rapidly changing, unpredictable global business environments.

We may never attempt to climb Everest ourselves, but we will be faced with obstacles that seem as big as any mountain.  In listening to John you’ll feel the thrill of life as seen through the eyes of a man who has leaned to take risks, has continually strived to go beyond his “comfort zone,” pushed himself to maximum levels, and found an awareness – his “real potential.”  This is not a man who sets limits.

“Our attendees walked away with renewed belief that they can push beyond their limitations and be more personally accountable for their own actions.”  USF&G Century Club

“The dimension you brought was emphasizing that risk is an intrinsic part of life and should be transformed into business in order to progress.  The way in which you brought out the effect of teamwork and employing cultural differences to best advantage was most impressive, particularly the way you emphasized that change is an essential part of life.”  American Express Financial Advisors Inc.

“One veteran senior executive described your presentation as the best he had ever heard.  Other senior executives have suggested that everyone in our organization should have had the opportunity to participate in your dynamic presentations.”  Libby Owens Ford

“Without qualification I can say that your presentation to the attendees at the American Optometric Association’s meeting was the most dynamic ever given to an AOA group.  Your artful integration of the principles of leadership into your narration of your dramatic mountain climb was superb.”  American Optometric Association