Bio:

Ted Ma is a workplace culture and leadership expert, author, and Certified Speaking Professional who helps leaders earn the kind of commitment you can’t demand. He’s conducted a proprietary national research study on leadership and workplace culture, and has been featured in USA Today, CNBC, and the New York Times. With over 20 years of hands-on leadership experience, he blends real-world insight with research-backed strategies to drive performance, engagement, and long-term growth.

Ted knows what it’s like to lead from the front lines. After building a sales force from the ground up into a team of more than 6,000 independent agents, he learned what separates average teams from exceptional ones, and what it really takes to lead in today’s people-first workplace.

What makes Ted’s approach different is where it came from. Every one of those 6,000 agents was an independent contractor, which meant he had no authority over any of them. He had to learn how to build a culture where people chose to take ownership, not because they were told to, but because they decided to. He calls it Contagious Ownership, and it’s built on a simple premise: pressure creates compliance, but ownership creates commitment.

Through his interactive keynotes and advisory work, Ted gives leaders practical tools they can use the next morning, and a way to build the kind of culture people talk about long after they’ve left the room.

When he’s not on stage, you’ l probably find him ordering complicated coffee drinks or bribing his two young kids with
ice cream

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Speaking Topics:

It Feels Different Here: Build a Culture People Take Ownership Of

You can feel when a workplace is running on commitment, and you can feel when it’s running on pressure. In pressure-driven teams, people do what’s required instead of what they’re capable of. Over time, performance becomes harder to sustain, and the people you can least afford to lose start looking elsewhere.

That’s how strong teams quietly unravel. Hidden beliefs start shaping behavior, like feeling you have to do everything yourself, or mistaking silence for alignment. Left unchecked, these patterns undermine trust and cause people to check out. Most people think the problem is talent or effort. It’s neither of those. It comes down to this: pressure creates compliance, and ownership creates commitment. Without commitment, every win is temporary.

Here’s what most leaders miss: ownership is contagious. It starts with one person choosing to own their impact, and it spreads. Ted Ma calls it Contagious Ownership, and he learned it leading a team of 6,000 independent agents he had no authority over. Drawing on that experience and a proprietary national research study, he gives everyone in the room something they can use Monday morning.

After this session, you will be able to:

• Recognize the hidden beliefs that quietly sabotage trust and accountability
• Use a two-word tool to catch the moments where ownership is won or lost
• Apply four specific moves that turn compliance into commitment
• Know where ownership ends, so taking on more doesn’t mean taking on everything

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Be the One: How to Be the Leader People Never Want to Leave

We all have someone who shaped our careers. A mentor who challenged us, believed in us, and helped us grow. Now imagine becoming that person for your team.

Somewhere along the way, we get pulled away from the moments that matter. Most leadership breakdowns don’t start with bad intentions. They start when we get buried in the work and lose sight of the people doing it. We default to direction over development, feedback over connection, and speed over trust. People aren’t hard to motivate. We just forget that leadership is personal before it’s positional.

In every industry, the leaders people choose to stay with don’t just drive results. They create everyday moments that make people feel seen, supported, and capable of more. That’s mentorship in real time. Backed by proprietary national research, this interactive session equips you with practical tools to lead with greater purpose, connection, and impact.

After this session, you will be able to:

• Uncover the mindset shifts that separate average leaders from great ones
• Translate the best mentoring behaviors into daily leadership habits
• Strengthen your leadership presence by showing up with clarity, consistency, and care
• Become the kind of leader people choose to follow, even when they don’t have to

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Mindset Shift: From Potential to High Performance

Most professionals know what it feels like to have more to give, yet still fall into patterns that keep results below their potential. The gap is rarely talent. It’s how you think and respond when priorities shift, plans change, or uncertainty creeps in. Even high performers can drift into autopilot and start playing it safe.

This is where mindset becomes the difference maker. When you challenge the stories you tell yourself and raise your personal standard, your effort starts to compound into real progress. You stop waiting to feel ready and start acting with clarity, confidence, and consistency.

In this interactive session, Ted Ma equips professionals at every level to shift how they think so they can perform at their best when it counts. You will learn how to break limiting patterns, turn feedback into fuel, and use discomfort on purpose to build momentum that lasts.

After this session, you will be able to:

• Embrace healthy discomfort and take strategic risks to accelerate performance
• Use feedback effectively to speed up growth and development
• Audit your inner circle to ensure you are surrounded by people who challenge and support you
• Find and connect with the right mentors to raise your skills, standards, and confidence