Dr. Rumeet Billan

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Science of Belonging

  Research has consistently shown that when employees feel that they belong, they perform better and experience higher levels of commitment, engagement, and well-being. An absence of belonging increases risk of isolation, underperformance, and burnout.

  This session will examine what it means to belong at work, the harmful effects of exclusion, and the challenges that leaders face in creating a sense of belonging. Audiences will leave with practical and evidence-based tools and strategies that support building, fostering, and nurturing a culture of belonging.

• Human-Centered Leadership: Becoming Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

  How we process our emotions directly impacts our ability to lead. It effects how we perceive ourselves and how we express ourselves to others. It also effects our relationships (personal and professional), the decisions we make, and how well we manage stress.

  Being an emotionally intelligent leader is about building self-awareness and using our emotions in the most effective way in our day-to-day interactions, decision-making, and relationship-building. In this session, leadership and culture expert Dr. Rumeet Billan walks audiences through the core competencies of becoming an emotionally intelligent leader and how to harness human-centered leadership to build more inclusive and engaging workplace environments.

• Redefining Resilience

  Resilience is our ability to bounce back from obstacles and setbacks to achieve higher levels of performance — a powerful skill that can be learned and strengthened. It requires developing positive adaptation processes to help overcome the challenges that we face, and the use of positive experiences to build confidence in our strengths and abilities. It also involves interventions that support and develop self-trust, objective reasoning, perseverance, and possibility thinking.

  Research shows that these capabilities can be learned, and this session focuses on how we can develop strategies to build our resilience by examining the capabilities of psychological capital and how we can improve our experience of change in order to reach our full potential.

• The Science of Trust

  Trust is in a state of crisis, and earning trust has never been more imperative for leaders than it is today. Trust is the key to solving problems and navigating risk, especially amidst uncertainty. Without it, collaboration and innovation break down.

  This session will examine the neuroscience of trust, misperceptions, and navigating distrust, while exploring the connections between transparency, vulnerability, and trust. Audiences will leave equipped with tools and strategies to lead, manage, and cultivate trust.

• Bias Awareness and Anti-Racism

  Our behaviour is impacted by the assumptions, biases, and stereotypes (positive and negative) that exist in our subconscious. We tend to believe that we are seeing everything in its complete form, however, it’s not possible for each of us to see the world as it is. Instead, we see the world through the lens of our experiences, biases, and various identity factors. As a result, the assumptions we hold shape the decisions that we make, but these decisions may be creating unequal outcomes for our employees.

  Steps can be taken to minimize the impact of bias in the workplace. This includes approaching our work in an informed way, training and interventions, empathy-driven dialogue, and heightened self-awareness. This session will present an introduction to bias and share strategies that help challenge assumptions and create inclusive workplaces.

• Elevating Women in the Workplace: Combating Tall Poppy Syndrome

  In workplaces across Canada and the world, a harmful constellation of both conscious and unconscious beliefs, behaviours, cultural messaging, and micro-aggressions is undermining women’s success, growth, and achievement. This phenomenon, known as Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS) is a silent systemic syndrome that has far-reaching and devastating impacts if left unaddressed, including negative consequences on mental health, self-confidence, teambuilding, and organizational success.

  Dr. Rumeet Billan led the first international study on TPS, where an overwhelming 87% of respondents said they have felt their achievements at work undermined. She shares the results of her study, illustrating how psychological health and workplace performance has been affected by this silent systemic syndrome, while empowering audiences to transform their organizations by strengthening equitable, inclusive, and productive workplace behaviours.

  Audiences will walk away with practical strategies to combat TPS in their organizations and build cultures of trust that genuinely encourage high achievers to grow, flourish, and lead.