Control the Controllables
Compete where it counts. Ignore the rest.
In volatile, uncertain environments, your team burns out reacting to everything—chasing noise, managing manufactured urgency, spending energy on what they can't control. The exhaustion isn't from working too hard. It's from a current they can't feel. They think they're swimming straight while the market, the reorg, and the mood of the room quietly pull them sideways all day.
Control the Controllables helps your team feel the current, narrow the battlefield, and put their effort where it actually drives results.
Your Team is exhausted from fighting the wrong things.
When everything feels urgent, your team competes everywhere and wins nowhere.
Change floods a team with inputs—market shifts, reorgs, fire drills, things entirely outside their control. I call what happens next Current Drift: a current dragging you sideways without you feeling it, so effort, attitude, and focus get dictated by the day's conditions instead of chosen. The team reacts instead of executes, and the harder they paddle, the more off-course they get.
Control the Controllables names that drift and redirects the team's energy back to the four things that are always theirs—effort, attitude, focus, and actions—so they set their own heading even when the environment won't hold still.
What Your Team Walks Away With
Built for teams navigating volatility, market uncertainty, organizational change, or post-disruption recovery.
Jake shows teams how to stop leaking energy to what they can't control and start competing where it counts. Using the weathervane and the thermostat-versus-thermometer as anchors, and with practical tools they can apply the same day, your team will leave able to:
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See where conditions they can't control are quietly setting the team's heading
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Separate what they control from what they don't, and stop spending energy in the wrong column
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Be the thermostat, not the thermometer; choose the energy they bring before the room chooses it for them
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Effort, attitude, focus, actions; score themselves on the inputs, not the weather
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Move from managing urgency to running a clear standard that holds when the environment shifts
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Develop future leaders instead of becoming the bottleneck
This keynote is right for you if: your team is navigating change or uncertainty, people are exhausted but spinning, or urgency is high and forward progress is low.
Format: 60–90 minute keynote; half-day and full-day workshops available for teams who want to build the execution plan together.
See Control the Controllables Live
A few minutes inside the room—the focus and the standard your team will carry through the noise.
Real Results FROM
Real Leaders
From the rooms where this keynote was delivered.
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![A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a black turtleneck and large hoop earrings.]()
"Jake didn't just deliver a keynote at our Leadership Summit"
— he set a new standard for what a speaker can bring to an organization. It was a 90-minute masterclass in mindset, tailored so specifically to our mission it felt like he'd been part of our team for years. The ripple effect will be felt far beyond the summit.
Corrie
Valet Living -
![Smiling man with dark hair, wearing a suit jacket and white shirt, in an indoor setting with blurred lights in the background.]()
"We brought Jake in to keynote our National Sales Summit, and he delivered in every sense."
What stood out was the intentionality and preparation — he took the time to truly understand our company, our people, and our purpose. And he's not a 'one and done' speaker. He's a true partner who wants to see your team grow and win.
Karl
Highstreet Insurance -
![A woman with curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile, wearing a red top and gold hoop earrings, standing indoors with a blurred background of window and greenery.]()
"Jake was a great partner from start to finish."
He took the time to understand our business and worked closely with our team to tailor both his keynote and breakout sessions so the content was relevant, engaging, and immediately actionable.
Natalie
Wyndham -
![Portrait of a smiling woman with long blonde hair, wearing a shiny blue top, standing against a brick wall.]()
"What truly set Jake apart was his level of engagement outside of his formal presentation."
He was fully invested in the attendee experience—taking time to connect with participants before and after his keynote, attending after-hours networking events, and engaging in meaningful conversations that reinforced his message.
Jessica
IronMarkets
Give Your Team Focus When everything feels Urgent.
Tell Jake about your event. He'll respond within 24 hours.
Whether it's a sales kickoff, all-hands, or a team navigating major change, Control the Controllables is customized to the exact uncertainty your team is facing - and the current pulling them off course. The first conversation is just discovery - no pitch.
The Two-Minute Drill
One framework. One challenge. One question. Every Tuesday to help you compete every day.