Addictive Leadership: Michael Brody-Waite
In his keynote at this year’s luncheon, Michael Brody-Waite shared his remarkable journey from homeless drug addict to Inc 500 founder, revealing how the principles that saved his life in recovery became the foundation of his business success. He explained how hitting rock bottom in 2002 forced him to develop transformative habits that later drove InQuicker to 20,000% growth and multiple “Best Places to Work” recognitions. Michael demonstrated that his success wasn’t despite his addiction history but because of the recovery principles he applied to leadership.
Michael then introduced Addictive Leadership, showing how business leaders can leverage Addictive Leadership’s unique perspective to overcome the workplace “addictions” that waste 25% of organizational time. He provided practical strategies for participants to reclaim 500 hours annually by practicing radical authenticity, addressing difficult conversations directly, and properly aligning time with the highest-value activities. Attendees left with actionable tools to accelerate progress toward organizational goals—all by applying the same principles that have enabled recovered addicts to escape their addictions.
His main focus is using the same tools that he used to get sober:
- Practice Rigorous Authenticity
- Surrender The Outcome
- Do Uncomfortable Work
You can watch his Ted Talk and learn more about his work here:
