Exclusively Represented by CAL Entertainment

Derek Gaunt

Derek Gaunt

Leadership Expert. Lead Washington DC area Hostage Negotiator. Author of Ego, Authority, and Failure

ABOUT

Derek Gaunt is the former leader and commander of hostage negotiations teams in Washington DC for 20 years, the author of Ego, Authority, Failure. Derek is ​a lecturer, coach, author, and trainer with 29 years of law enforcement experience.

He is a hostage negotiation and incident command subject matter expert, well versed in de-escalating emotions and returning people to a normal functioning level for better decision-making and behavioral change. Derek’s passion for interpersonal communications began when he was selected as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Section of a municipal police agency.

Derek spent the majority of his law enforcement career in the Criminal Investigations Section as a detective, supervisor and eventually commander of major crimes. In 1997, he took his passion for interpersonal communications to the next level, becoming a hostage negotiator. Once he became a supervisor, his passion transitioned from “doing” to teaching the concepts to others.

Derek frequently speaks at hostage negotiations conferences across the country. He is now working for the Black Swan Group, strategic business advisory company, traveling the US and around the world, instructing organizations in how to apply hostage negotiations practices and principles to the business world.
He has delivered seminars, workshops, and in-house training to a variety of corporate clients including ​Jetblue, Google, Facebook, Harris and Kronos. He has also instructed at national and international business schools. His presentations are engaging and filled with useful techniques for understanding human behavior to improve ​relationships and accelerate business outcomes.

VIDEOS

SPEAKING TOPICS

01

EGO AUTHORITY FAILURE

A Gallup study found that 50% of resigning employees did so “to get away from their manager….” The ones who don’t quit become disengaged; creating a negative work environment costing U.S. companies billions in lost productivity each year.Leaders in the 21st century need to understand that technical skills are not enough to be an effective manager. They need to able to demonstrate Tactical Empathy to create a more productive environment. This book introduces readers to the fundamentals of Hostage Negotiator-Leadership (HNL) which has, as its foundation, Tactical Empathy. Inside, you’ll learn 12 simple-to-execute skills that, if applied immediately, will have you operating at a level higher than most.Ego, Authority, Failure was written for leaders who want actionable techniques to build trust-based influence in order to motivate and inspire. It is also shares cautionary tales for those in denial about the damage their ego and authority has on their organization.

02

NEGOTIATION SECRETS

Focus: Interpersonal Communications, Information Gathering, Influence

How do emotions drive human behavior and decision-making? What can you do about it? Negotiations are nothing more than difficult conversations. Navigating difficult conversations with people who are driven by emotional factors requires understanding the human nature response. Ignore human nature at your own peril. Executives, managers, indeed all of the personnel within your organization need to ask, what is the road map to what causes a counterpart’s decision or behavior? How do we best navigate that road? By uncovering the drivers. Once you can decipher what the drivers are, people become predictable.