Leadership for a people-centric world.

Sustainable business performance is created when people can thrive, grow and contribute at their very best.

Masterclasses 2027 Why the hummingbird

Care builds trust. Trust builds engagement.

People who feel valued contribute more. People who trust their leaders engage more deeply.

Engaged people take ownership.

Ownership drives performance. Performance creates excellence. Excellence creates sustainable value.

This is not a philosophical position.

It is a business imperative. The organizations that outperform their peers are investing in trust, in culture, in leadership and in human capability.

  • Innovation comes from people.
  • Customer relationships are built by people.
  • Culture is shaped by people.
  • Decisions are made by people.
  • Value is created by people.

Why hummingbird?

The inspiration comes from a simple story.

The fire

A forest fire is raging. The animals stand at the edge of destruction, overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge before them.

One small act

Only a small hummingbird acts. It carries a single drop of water from a nearby stream and releases it onto the flames.

And again

The other animals challenge it. What difference can one drop make?

“I am doing what I can.”

The hummingbird

It acts because it cares. Not driven by power, position or authority, but by a sense of responsibility for something greater than itself.

Performance is an outcome of human experience.

The central belief of Hummingbird Leadership. The pathway is simple. Hover or tap each step.

  1. Care

    People who feel valued contribute more.

  2. Trust

    People who trust their leaders engage more deeply.

  3. Engagement

    Engaged people take ownership.

  4. Ownership

    Ownership drives performance.

  5. Performance

    Performance creates excellence.

  6. Excellence

    Excellence creates sustainable value.

For too long, people initiatives and business performance were treated as separate conversations. The most successful organizations understand they are the same conversation.

  1. The quality of leadership shapes the quality of culture.
  2. The quality of culture shapes the quality of engagement.
  3. The quality of engagement shapes the quality of performance.
  4. Great leaders do not create value directly. They create the conditions in which people create value.

Leadership multiplies.

The hummingbird cannot extinguish the fire alone. Its true impact comes from inspiring others to act. Influence spreads. Responsibility spreads. Leadership spreads.

Their legacy is not the number of followers they create, but the number of leaders they develop.
1leaders lit
A workshop room of leaders in conversation

Visible Felt Leadership

Visible in the actions leaders take.

Felt in the experiences of the people they lead.

People do not judge leadership by mission statements or executive presentations. They judge it through everyday interactions: the decisions leaders make, the conversations they have, the priorities they reinforce.

Masterclasses 2027

Two-day masterclasses where Malcolm Staves teams up with leading voices in leadership and safety science. Rigour from research, practice from the boardroom and the shop floor.

Get the 2027 dates
Decoding Safety · Featured
Malcolm StavesJC

From Science to Strategy

23–24 March 2027 · Paris

Malcolm Staves & Jean-Christophe Le Coze

Understanding Complexity. Leading with Clarity.Early bird €850 · first ten seats
Explore & register
Decoding Leadership
Malcolm StavesLH

When Strategy Meets Choice

5–7 April 2027 · Cambridge

Malcolm Staves & Louise Hosking

Arrive Monday 5 April, full day Tuesday, half day Wednesday
Register interest
Masterclass · 2027
Malcolm StavesJP

With James Pomeroy

2027 · dates to be announced

Malcolm Staves & James Pomeroy

Title, dates and venue to be announced.

Register interest
Masterclass · 2027
Malcolm StavesMB

With Marieke Bleyenbergh

2027 · dates to be announced

Malcolm Staves & Marieke Bleyenbergh

Title, dates and venue to be announced.

Register interest
Masterclass · 2027
Malcolm StavesKS

With Kathy A. Seabrook

2027 · dates to be announced

Malcolm Staves & Kathy A. Seabrook

Title, dates and venue to be announced.

Register interest
Masterclass · 2027
Malcolm StavesAH

With Andresa Hernandes

2027 · dates to be announced

Malcolm Staves & Andresa Hernandes

Title, dates and venue to be announced.

Register interest

The 2027 series is taking shape.

New masterclasses across Europe, with further editions planned in the US and Asia. Leave your details and you will hear first when dates open.

Keep me posted
Portrait of Malcolm Staves
Originator of Hummingbird Leadership

Malcolm Staves

Malcolm Staves has spent more than 35 years in corporate environment, health and safety leadership across global multinationals, most recently as Global Vice President EHS at L'Oréal, and before that at Pechiney, American National Can and Alcan.

Hummingbird Leadership brings that experience together with the people who study leadership and safety most closely, so that leaders can create the conditions for people and performance to flourish together.

Leadership is not about being the hero. It is about helping others discover that they matter.The philosophy of Hummingbird Leadership

Hummingbird Leadership exists to help create cultures where people flourish, leadership multiplies and performance excels.

#bethehummingbird

Be the hummingbird.

Questions about a masterclass, an in-company session or working with Malcolm? Send a note and we will come back to you.

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