Hyler Bracey

Biography

From humble beginnings in the cotton fields of southern Mississippi to enormous success in the bustling city of Atlanta, Hyler Bracey has seen it all. He is past CEO and Chairman of The Atlanta Consulting Group and, for the past 30 years, has been actively involved in transforming some of the world's greatest organizations: UPS, McDonald's, Swiss Air Group, Coors Brewing, Dobbs International, Merrill Lynch, AK Steel, Center for Disease Control Foundation, Menasha Corporation and other national and international firms. In "retirement" Hyler continues to be a nationally acclaimed consultant, author and public speaker.

A colorful background lends credence to his passion for inspiring others to overcome adversity and achieve their personal dreams and/or company's strategic vision. During his lifetime, Hyler has worked as a tugboat deckhand, owned and operated a cotton-ginning business, served as CEO of a large consulting firm and raced stock cars. Miraculously surviving a 1970 racing accident, Hyler uses his burn experience, the loss of a very valuable exhibition vehicle in a wreck, and the challenges of managing his company during crisis to show others how to see–and capture–the opportunity hidden in adversity.

Hyler's experiences in changing the economic history of many Fortune 1000 firms have made him an expert on building trust, attracting and retaining talent, coaching CEOs, creating a serious competitive advantage with the human element, achieving inspired performance, and producing dramatic change for organizations.

Dr. Bracey is the author of a number of books and articles on the subject of management and organizational behavior. He co-authored the best-selling book Managing From The Heart and the nationally acclaimed Winning The Race For Value. His latest book is Building Trust: How to get it! How to keep it! He has appeared in over 1000 print publications, over 500 radio broadcasts and dozens of TV programs. His diverse media events range from the CBS Evening News and the Today Show to National Geographic Explorer and Guinness World Records. Hyler holds a doctorate and a master's degree in management, marketing and finance from Louisiana State University.

Publications

Building Trust... How to Get It! How to Keep It! has been read and endorsed by such business leaders as Truett Cathy, founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A; Pete Coors, Chairman of Coors Brewing Company and Bernie Marcus, Founder of The Home Depot.

Previously, Dr. Bracey co-authored two popular management practice books – Managing from the Heart, that encourages business leaders to instill the human touch in management, and Winning the Race for Value, that defines how businesses must attune themselves to customer needs.

Titles

Adversity: How to Capitalize On and Deal With Difficult Conditions
Adversity is going to happen. How it is dealt with can make a dramatic difference. This practical, fun, sobering and inspiring speech mobilizes people to recognize and capture the opportunities that present themselves during difficult times. Hyler utilizes personal examples to illustrate his theme–his miraculous survival of a stock-car racing accident, the destruction of a highly valuable exhibition vehicle in a wreck, and the challenges of managing his company during crisis. Audiences will leave this presentation inspired to capture the moment and position the organization for even greater success during–and after–adversity. They will also learn the skills of painting the "darkness of the future if we do not act" and the "brightness of the future if we see and capture the opportunity." Real examples from industry and life provide the tools for implementation in your organization TODAY.

A Personal Journey: Making Dreams-Visions Come True
For inspiration, fun, entertainment, joyous laughter and sometimes tears, this is Hyler Bracey at his very best. Miraculously surviving a 1970 stock-car racing accident, Hyler realized that his zest for life would be the catalyst for making some unusual personal dreams come true. At the same time, he recognized his gift for inspiring and teaching others to achieve their personal goals and dreams, and to help their company's (department, plant, team, etc.) strategic vision become a reality. Using his extraordinary life story as an example, Hyler demonstrates a practical, proven, concrete process for finding our individual path to a joyful, healthy, productive, spiritual life. Hyler's entertaining, inspiring and heart-warming presentation clearly makes a difference in helping people shape their personal and professional lives and contribute to a company's vision.

Creating Competitive Advantage in Tomorrow’s World of Work
This presentation provides a dramatic wake-up call of what MUST be done today to prepare for the glacial shift that will occur in the way we will recruit, hire, retain and motivate employees by 2005. Like never before, today's workforce is sending a clear request to employers: Recognize my contributions, allow me to make a difference, and let me balance my work and my personal life. No longer are employees motivated solely by flashy recruiting tactics and monetary rewards; today, they want to be enrolled in their organization's strategic purpose and excited about the work they do. In response to this dramatic shift in attitude, Hyler Bracey provides practical ways organizations can create trusting, caring work environments where people can be and give their very best. Hyler demonstrates how organizations embracing meaningful work environments will have a competitive advantage that will be a barrier to the competition.

Becoming a Trusted Advisor to CEO's
This presentation will change the way you think about consulting and becoming the trusted advisor to CEOs. Hyler will share his learning from his real-life experience of coaching and consulting with CEOs over the last thirty years‹when he did it right and when he blew it. In this fun presentation he provides the roadmap to building a trusting relationship with CEOs and other senior executives. The pathway to increasing trust within your own company will also be clearly demonstrated.

Managing From the Heart
This speech will move even the toughest of audiences to pay more attention to the human element in achieving results. Nobody can deny the fact that both organizational and personal improvements are impossible without positive relationships. Through stories, examples and audience participation, Hyler Bracey demonstrates the power of integrating "soft" behavioral skills with "hard," measurable business results. He also provides an enlightened view of the simple, unspoken requests we all have of each other:
Hear and understand me;
Even if you disagree, don’t make me wrong;
Acknowledge the greatness within me;
Remember to look for my loving intentions; and
Tell me the truth with compassion.

Increasing Trust - Personal and Organizational
Trust is the "oil" that allows relationships and organizations to operate smoothly and productively. While many talk about it, few know how to build trust. Hyler is the world's expert on "how to" build and increase trust. His presentations are tailored to address your specific situation - rebuilding trust after an acquisition or merger, union campaign, downsizing, etc., how to become the trusted advisor to CEOs, increasing team effectiveness, quick ways to build trust in a sales environment, and building trust in a customer/supplier relationship.

Creating Successful, Dramatic Change
Most change efforts are painful and get screwed up. Unfortunately, the consequences of most change efforts are low morale, decreased productivity, poor quality and customer dissatisfaction. Successful transformation of any organization depends on the motivation and trust of the people affected. For today’s employees, change requires leadership that inspires and involves everyone. From his 27 years of diverse consulting and management experience, Hyler Bracey provides a clear roadmap for establishing the necessary and sufficient conditions critical to positive, dramatic change.