Paul Jan Zdunek is a highly experienced C-suite executive with over 20 years of leadership spanning the nonprofit and commercial sectors, recognized for his ability to blend mission-driven focus with operational excellence. He has led organizations through strategic transformations centered on Purpose, People, and Place, delivering sustainable outcomes and revitalizing institutions in need of organizational realignment.
A PROSCI®-certified Change Management Professional, Paul is known for his expertise in organizational leadership & innovation, stakeholder engagement & management, and his holistic approach to turnarounds. Drawing from his early career as an orchestra conductor, he combines curiosity & creativity with a disciplined, results-oriented commitment to align purpose with performance, creating lasting impact across many diverse industries.
Paul is a TEDx speaker and an award-winning co-author of a book on cultivating GREY LEADERSHIP® titled Cowboys & Conductors: Conversations on Horseman-Humanship which he uses to teach executive courses within the Technical Management Program at UCLA and the Odyssey Program at Johns Hopkins University.
Cowboys & Conductors: Conversations on Horseman-Humanship has been described as a business book about life and a life book about business for both CEOs in the workplace and young children in the schoolyard trying to figure out relationships.
Hailed by Readers' Favorite as "...one of the most inspiring books on leadership...for anyone who needs...guidance in their day-to-day lives," this book has been helping people understand how to communicate with others through simple yet impactful philosophies of Meeting People Where They Are, allowing people to Move Their Feet, and empowering them to work through this post black-and-white world by providing them with a foundational framework we call GREY LEADERSHIP®.
As the author of the Foreword, Beyonce's dad and executive producer, Mathew Knowles, says that after reading Cowboys & Conductors, "You'll want to be a better person and team player not only for yourself, but for your colleagues and loved ones too."
Awards include the Nonfiction Book Awards, North American Book Awards, Goody Business Book Awards, Firebird & Speak Up Talk Radio Book Awards, and American Writing Awards.
Join me and CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam as we discuss my book, Cowboys & Conductors: Conversations on Horseman-Humanship. We'll explore effective leadership strategies, working in diverse teams, and delve into my upcoming Johns Hopkins University Odyssey Alumni Academy course.
Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker for your next event, a facilitator for that difficult-to-have conversation, or a one-on-one coaching session, Paul Jan Zdunek brings his distinctive expertise and insight as an orchestra conductor, entrepreneur, and organizational transformation expert to deliver impact. With a range of services custom designed to fit your specific needs, Paul’s passion is connecting people to their aha-moments and leading them to those incredibly surprising and powerful places they never thought were possible.
Paul Jan Zdunek began his professional career as an orchestra conductor and, while he has spent the last 20 years as a business leader and transformation specialist, he continues to utilize all the lessons learned from his training and experience on the podium.
His unique journey has provided him the skills to seamlessly influence change through an intuitive leadership approach that he uses every single day to deliver maximum impact.
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