Matt Lindley

Airline and former Royal Air Force pilot Matt Lindley talks candidly about being one of the first openly gay pilots in the UK Armed Forces.  His childhood dream was to fly, which was almost crushed by a ban on gay serving personnel in the Forces.  Matt describes how he consciously suppressed his sexuality and joined an organisation knowing that coming ‘out’ could have resulted in a possible prison sentence (The Armed Forces Act).  His story is one of self-motivation, determination, and drive. Matt fulfilled a boyhood dream and qualified as a Hawk fast jet pilot however soon after, high workload, geographical isolation and operating in a non inclusive culture, resulted in a catastrophic mistake at work.

Matt draws on his knowledge of human performance factors and psychology to self analyse the impact of mental health and stress on his performance at work and wellbeing. Listen to the importance of allies and the role of an inspiring inclusive line manager on Matts ultimate success in the Armed Forces.

Using current pilot best practice, case studies and psychological knowledge to look at corporate issues from an interactive and fascinating angle. Matt can deliver change management programmes, keynote speaking or individual coaching

But this is not just another ‘coming out story’, instead Matt uses his experience to discuss how the RAF positively adapted its culture from one of open hostility towards gay personnel, to acceptance and support.

SPEAKING TOPICS

• Adapt Leadership And Cultural Models
• Change Management
• Coaching
• Mental health
• Resilience – how to weather the storm
• Stress and workplace performance
• How to be an inclusive leader
• Trust – building and maintaining
• The importance of allies
• Culture / transformational change
• Goal setting, focus and drive
• Emotional intelligence and empathy
• Workplace banter – the pros and cons

“I was fortunate enough to listen to Matt speak at a recent LGBT diversity and inclusion event. Matt shared his own journey as a gay man growing up and achieving his dream to be a pilot which took him the macho world of the RAF and how throughout this time he kept his sexuality bottled. He was able to thread into this the impact that sustained stress and stressful events can have on your performance and if left unchecked the catastrophic outcomes that can result. He sincerely described how having to hide one’s sexuality is a significant source of sustained stress in one’s life providing a compelling reason why being inclusive is so essential to avoid this unnecessary situation. It also served as a reminder that each and everyone one of us faces stress and stressful situations everyday whether it be about being LGBT, a difficult family situations, illness the list goes on and reminded me how embracing diversity and being supportive of each other is beneficial to our overall well-being.”  Royal Bank of Canada

.“Matt came in to speak to our law firm about the impact a manager can have on someone’s life when they just listen. His talk was hugely powerful and emotional, but more importantly, it was based on real-life practicalities that we can all take forward into the legal workplace to help make a difference to those people around us.”  RPC Law

“Matt’s natural ability to connect with his audience along with his energy and positive vibe absolutely captivated our audience with his incredible story. His grit and determination really resonated with so many people in the audience. The presentation that Matt put together really enhanced his speech. It was one of most captivating talks I’ve ever been to”  Hyperion X (Insurance)

“From the very first briefing call, Matt was just a pleasure to work with – warm and charismatic and more importantly took the time to understand what it was we were trying to achieve and was very open to tailoring his talk where he could to really fit the content and purpose of the day. We have been inundated with feedback from our employees who were blown away by the bravery of Matt’s story. He has certainly left an impression and it’s a talk that I’m sure they will remember for some time.”  Metro Bank

“I am very happy to write this recommendation for Matt Lindley, whom we had a pleasure of welcoming as one of the leading keynote speakers at the World Procurement Congress 2018 in London. Matt performed magnificently and engaged with the audience of over 700 extremely well, no doubt due to his approach, knowledge and experience on the topic, giving our delegates a deep insight into the human error topic and leadership skills. Matt’s session has received fantastic feedback from our delegates and scored a perfect NPS score! On the personal level, he is very affable and we look forward to the possibility of working with him in the future.”  Director World Procurement Leaders

“Matt’s ability to use his extensive experience in the airline industry, to clearly articulate lessons and solutions to the vitally important topic of patient safety, is refreshing and insightful. Human factors, attitude to risk and creating a just culture are key areas to focus and continually improve on, whatever the industry – but particularly relevant to pharmacy. A GREAT DAYS TRAINING.”  Walgreens Boots Alliance

“Assessing and managing risk”. It was a great session, very interactive and managed to engage all the SME Managing Directors that were present. I would thoroughly recommend Matt to anyone looking for a keynote speaker on this area.”  The Yorkshire Leadership Group

Matt-Lindley-Mayday-Showreel on Vimeo

Matt-Lindley-Diversity-Keynote (unbranded) on Vimeo

Showreel – Matt-Lindley-Mayday-Showreel (vimeo.com)

TEDx Talk – https://www.propelperformance.co.uk/diversity-keynote-lgbt-pilot