Nicola Tyler: Strategic Leadership

Strategic leadership keynote speaker Nicola Tyler helps organizations turn complex challenges into clear action through lateral thinking, operative strategy, and decision driven leadership.

Quick Facts:

  • Highlights:
    • 20+ years experience in strategy, innovation, and leadership development
    • CEO of Business Results Group, official partner to leading global thinking frameworks
    • Trained by Dr Edward de Bono and expert in applied lateral thinking
    • Founder of The Progress Conference and Happiness @ Work conference
    • Professional Associate at GIBS and former MBA elective lecturer
  • Formats:

    Keynote speaker, master facilitator, and strategic innovation consultant

  • Audience:

    Executives, leadership teams, boards, and organizations navigating complexity, change, and strategic decision making

  • Outcomes:
    1. Clearer thinking and better quality strategic decisions
    2. Practical tools to move from strategy to execution
    3. Stronger alignment, commitment, and ownership across teams
Reading time: 3 min
Reviews: (3 reviews)
Rated 5 out of 5
  • Travels from: Cape Town

Contact Details

  • Phone:

Talent Short Bio

Nicola Tyler is a globally respected expert in Lateral Thinking, strategic leadership, and innovation, with more than twenty years of experience advising organizations on how to think better, decide faster, and execute more effectively. She is best known for her mastery and real world application of Dr Edward de Bono’s creative and lateral thinking methodologies, having worked closely with and been trained by de Bono himself.

Nicola is the CEO of Business Results Group, which holds the official Southern African distributorship for Dr Edward de Bono’s Thinking Methods, Official Tom Peters Training, the iOpener Institute’s Science of Happiness at Work, and Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers Leadership Development. Through this platform, Nicola has influenced leaders and organizations across sectors, helping them translate strategy into sustained results.

She is also the founder of The Progress Conference, including the annual Happiness @ Work conference, a flagship thought leadership event in South Africa. Nicola has shared the stage with global thought leaders such as Martin Seligman, Tom Peters, Dave Ulrich, Martin Lindstrom, Ricardo Semler, and Robert Kaplan, and has delivered programs across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Nicola Tyler is a renowned expert in the field of Lateral Thinking and she has been a strategist and leadership development trainer for over twenty years.

During this time, she worked with, and was trained by, Dr Edward de Bono, in his creative and lateral thinking methods. As CEO of Business Results Group, she heads up the official distributorship of Dr Edward de Bono’s Thinking Methods, Official Tom Peters Training, iOpener Institute’s Science of Happiness at Work and Liz Wiseman’s Multipliers Leadership Development in Southern Africa.

BRG also owns the prestigious brand, ‘The Progress Conference’; host to the annual Happiness @ Work conference and numerous thought leadership programs in South Africa.

Nicola Tyler has shared the stage with a number of world renowned speakers such as Martin Seligman, Dave Ulrich, Tom Peters, Martin Lindstrom, Robert Kaplan, Ricardo Semler and more. She has personally addressed audiences in Argentina, Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels, Cambodia, Paris, Prague, Mauritius, Switzerland and London, as well as having done extensive work in Africa and in the Middle East.

She is a Professional Associate at GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Science), which has been ranked as the number one Business School in Africa (Financial Times, UK), where, for several years

Nicola presented an MBA elective on Creative and Innovative Thinking. Today, she presents on a number of company specific programs for the business school on both Innovative and Strategic Thinking.

Nicola Tyler is a professional, insightful and engaging speaker who is passionate about making a difference and delivering results.

She brings a deep respect and appreciation for business needs into their sessions by engaging people at all levels and encouraging the process of thinking in such a way, that it stimulates commitment and buy-in to decisions.

She is widely considered a master at applying de Bono’s techniques in live business situations. Nicola Tyler is an erudite presenter and master facilitator with business experience way beyond the field of Creative Thinking.

Nicola Tyler unique and pragmatic style of working has earned her a reputation for being able to ‘turn strategy into action’ and personal passion for thinking, innovation and results, is realized through a process that she has coined as ‘Operative Strategy’.

Drawing on Nicola Tyler twenty years of experience in the fields of strategy and innovation, Nicola facilitates strategic planning, strategic thinking and innovation processes and workshops across a variety of industries.

She regularly consults to organisations on strategic innovation, she coaches executives on the implementation of strategy and she facilitates partnering innovation workshops for clients.

Nicola has been interviewed on radio, television, and Nicola Tyler – Strategic Lateral Leadership has frequently contributed to articles on management journals, both locally and internationally.

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Overview of User Reviews for Nicola Tyler's Leadership and Creativity Workshops

Nicola Tyler is highly praised for her dynamic and impactful approach to leadership training and creativity enhancement. Reviewers consistently highlight her unique ability to inspire and energize participants, making her sessions memorable and enjoyable. Her blend of humor, insight, and practical strategies helps individuals and groups awaken to their potential and develop actionable plans for success.

Strengths:

  • Inspiring Presence: Many users noted her extraordinary energy and ability to engage participants, making even the final day of a lengthy program a highlight.
  • Innovative Techniques: Nicola is commended for providing creative tools that help unlock potential and foster innovative thinking.
  • Practical Implementation: Reviewers appreciate her focus on translating ideas into realistic action plans, ensuring that creativity is paired with practicality.

Weaknesses:

  • While not explicitly mentioned in the reviews, the emphasis on her high-energy style may not resonate with everyone, particularly those who prefer a…
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