Teams Do Not Fail on Talent. They Fail on Trust.
Chris Sund is a teamwork and collaboration speaker for company meetings, department kickoffs and leadership offsites. His sessions give teams a shared standard, peer accountability that does not depend on the boss, and a working way to collaborate across functions instead of handing problems over the wall.
Why Do Good People Still Make a Bad Team?
Most teams are not short on capable people. They are short on agreement: what good looks like, who owns what, and what happens when someone drops the ball. Without that, collaboration turns into meetings, and accountability only flows from the top down.
Chris runs companies built on teams that hand work to each other every day: recruiters, account managers and operations people who either trust each other or slow each other down. His sessions work on the habits that make the difference, and the team leaves with something written down.
- A written team standard the team authors itself
- Peer accountability that does not need the manager in the room
- Role clarity: who owns what, and what “done well” means
- Cross-functional handoffs that stop dropping work
- EDGE: embrace ownership, dare to stretch, generate momentum, elevate others
How Chris Picks the People Who Lead Teams
Chris has a line he uses when he promotes someone: the interview was last year. He promotes the people the team already follows, and before he decides, he asks the team who helps make the work better. The answer is usually obvious to everyone except the org chart.
At the Greater Omaha Chamber, Chris ran The Leadership Exchange, an interactive session where the room worked through real scenarios on communication, trust and accountability instead of listening to a lecture. At the BeatStars company meeting he delivered the team program built on EDGE.
Chris was able to energize the room, spark conversations, and encourage connections throughout the event. We are incredibly grateful for Chris and the lasting impact he is making on our community’s future leaders.
It did not feel like another polished leadership talk. He made it a conversation. He was not afraid to share his own stumbles, which set the tone for everyone else to be candid too.
His engaging style draws the audience into the conversation, creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that encourages learning and reflection. You leave not only inspired but equipped with practical insights you’re eager to implement.
Programs for Teams
Every session is customized to your members, your setting and your year.
Your Team Is Capable of More
The team keynote and workshop: shared ownership, a standard everyone protects, and teammates who make each other better.
The Leadership Exchange
An interactive session where the team works through real decisions together. The strongest format for collaboration because the room does the work.
The Spark Advantage
SPARK: support, purpose, appreciation, relationships, and knowledge and growth. What keeps people engaged on a team.
Formats
Each program runs as a keynote, a half-day workshop or a full-day workshop.
General Session
A general-session keynote on what separates a group of capable people from a team, with stories and the EDGE framework.
Workshop
The keynote plus working time: the team builds its own written standard and peer accountability agreements in the room.
Workshop
A team day built around your agenda: the keynote, The Leadership Exchange, and planning time for how the team will run the next quarter.
Who Books This Session
Related pages: High-Performance Team Speaker · Team Offsite Speaker · Culture Keynote Speaker · Leadership Retreat Agenda
What Teamwork Planners Ask
How is this different from a team-building activity?
Activities build a good afternoon. This builds an agreement. The team works on its real dynamics and leaves with a written standard, clear ownership and a way to hold each other to it. It still has energy and stories, but it points at something the team uses afterward.
Is it a keynote or a workshop?
Either. The keynote works for a full company or conference room. The half-day and full-day workshops are strongest for intact teams and leadership groups, and they usually include The Leadership Exchange.
Can it handle a team with real tension?
Yes, and that is often why the call comes. The frameworks give the team a structured way to talk about how it works, without forced vulnerability exercises or ambushes.
How does this relate to the High-Performance Team page?
High-Performance Team covers the systems behind output and execution. This page is about how people work together: trust, ownership and collaboration across roles. Many events combine the two.
Can every attendee get the book?
Yes. Copies of You Are Capable of More can be bundled for the team, with bulk pricing and the free book discussion guide to run it as a team read afterward.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynote, and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Ten principles for closing the gap between what a team is producing and what it is actually capable of.
A copy for each team member turns the session into a shared reference, and the free discussion guide makes it a team read after the event.
He Leads Teams for a Living
Chris is President & COO of Uniti Med and GQR Healthcare and COO of Nebula. He helped build Uniti Med from startup into one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the US: 10x revenue growth on the core brand, #3 on the Inc. Regionals list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award.
Before healthcare staffing he spent ten years in restaurants and beverage, managing restaurants and then running sales and marketing for a brewery. He still has a company to run on Monday, and the material comes from that work.
He is the bestselling author of You Are Capable of More, a Maxwell Leadership Certified coach, and writes for Inc. and Forbes.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Teams Have Heard Chris
Company meetings, chamber programs and business events where Chris has worked with teams.
BeatStars Company MeetingVirtualGreater Omaha Chamber YP WorkshopOmaha, NEDefinitive Healthcare SKOBoston, MAAuthentica Connect & InspireOmaha, NEemPower BreakfastBellevue, NECrawford Memorial Recognition DinnerDenison, IAAlso: Your Team Is Capable of More · The Leadership Exchange · Team Offsite Speaker · See all speaking engagements →
Bring Chris to Your Team
Tell Chris about the team, what is working and what is not. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on the right format and availability.
Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots