Alan Doyle

What does it take to be a peak performer at the top of your game? We often see professional athletes and entertainers as being naturally talented. What we don’t see is all the preparation—the collaboration and passion behind the scenes—that goes into excelling at every turn. It is this readiness, according to Alan Doyle, that is present in every top performer and team. Using stories from his legendary career as an artist, Doyle shows you how excellence means being able to improvise at a moment’s notice—and that nothing prepares you for going off book, like knowing the book forwards and backwards. Giving you practical life lessons in an endlessly entertaining fashion, Doyle shows us that preparation—be it for the next big concert, or business meeting—is the key to greatness.

Whether in a van, a bus, or occasionally in a broken car, few have had the opportunity to travel across the Canadian coasts like Beautiful Beautiful Band frontman Alan Doyle. Equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, Doyle tells numerous tales of leaving Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and discovering the unexpected in mainland Canada during his time on tour. Turning his perspective outward across the country, Doyle reflects on a life punctuated by triumphant leaps forward, deflating steps backward, and everything in between. On his many adventures, Doyle’s established notions about Canada were often debunked, while his own identity as a Newfoundlander was constantly challenged. Giving you an extraordinary snapshot of the great white north that’s as heartfelt as it is insightful, Doyle taps into the complexities of the Canadian community as told by a wandering musician trying to navigate a vast, diverse, and wonder-filled country.

Early in his career with acclaimed folk-pop combo Great Big Sea, Ed McCann gave Alan Doyle some time-tested advice on team building. It starts from the top down — know everyone’s role above, below, and beside you and demonstrate to your colleagues that you understand and support what they do and the challenges they face, and are willing to help in any way possible.

Doyle shares advice for senior management as well as those in lower entry level positions, as they too need to understand the challenges of those who have hired them, to help them build a circle of teamwork and mutual support at all levels for great results.

Alan Doyle learned firsthand about the hardworking and charitable nature of people from his province. Born in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, Doyle is the co-founder of A Dollar A Day Foundation, created to support frontline mental health and addictions programs across Canada. Though this work, Doyle has witnessed how a tiny group of people can affect positive change.

In this inspirational speech, Doyle shares his experiences working with his charitable organization to empower all with a deep understanding of how the work they do is meaningful and effectual. Both together and as individuals, we can change the course of this ship, and, most importantly, change it for the better.

Throughout his lengthy career in music and show business, Alan Doyle has seen 70-year-old Oscar-winning directors haul boats up the shore. He knows owners of successful restaurant chains who will do shifts washing dishes when they are short-staffed. If you can demonstrate that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, you’ll see others inspired and invigorated by your efforts.

In this presentation, Alan Doyle shares the effort and determination that fuelled Great Big Sea’s success. In the early days, the band agreed that they all wanted a lifetime in the music business and were willing to do whatever each day asked of them to accomplish this. Those days have varied extensively over the years as the music business has been in such a state of flux, but the bandmates of Great Big Sea have proven that if you are willing to go beyond the job description, you will find the success you seek.

Every successful person Doyle has met along the way has embraced this philosophy, and the most successful have inspired this in those they lead. He shows audiences how to do the same.

You cannot control being the smartest or most talented person in the room, but you can be the most prepared.

Drawing on his time working with Oscar Award-winning actor Russell Crowe, Alan Doyle shares lessons learned on readiness and how this famed actor inspires this in others. While shooting the 2010 film Robin Hood, there was such an environment of preparedness that no one would dare show up without knowing their lines and blocking and being fight training prepared. The result was excellence and a daily effort to go the extra mile.

Doyle relates stories of how his songs made their way into the final cut of the action film, while sharing behind-the-scenes insight into how one can inspire excellence in those around them.