About

John J Murphy_headshot

John J. Murphy

  • Author of 20 Books on Change Mastery

  • Keynote Speaker & Management Consultant

  • MSN Top 10 Leading Speaker 2025

  • Selling Power Leading Consultant 2025

  • Certified Professional Expert, Cathcart by
    Cathcart Institute

  • University of Notre Dame, BBA Finance

 

“My essence as an author, keynote speaker, mentor and management consultant is one of poise, confidence, humility, inner peace, joy, and deep wisdom.”

  • 1988 — Present | Founder, Venture Management Consultants
    Left a corporate executive position to build one of the most quietly remarkable careers in management consulting.
  • 38 Years | Author of 20 Published Books

    From Pulling Together (1993) to Miracle-Minded Manager (2019). Each book on Change Mastery.

  • ADP Flagship | Trained 1,000+ People at ADP

    Including their current CEO, Maria Black, and prior CEO Carlos Rodriguez. Worked full-time at ADP for 2.5 years.

  • Global Reach | 50+ Countries & 500+ Media Appearances
    Keynotes delivered across China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Europe, and throughout North America.

  • Onstage With | Shared the Stage With the Best
    General H. Norman Schwarzkopf · Zig Ziglar · Denis Waitley · Rocky Bleier · Anthony Robbins

  • 2025 | MSN Top 10 Leading Speaker
    Recognized alongside the world’s most sought-after keynote speakers for 2025.

  • 2025 | Selling Power Leading Consultant
    Selected as a top management consultant for 2025 by Selling Power magazine.

  • Recognition | Marquis Who’s Who
    Listed for global contributions to leadership, management consulting, and organizational excellence.

The Story

38 Years of Building What Others Only Talk About

In 1988, John J. Murphy walked away from a corporate executive position — a director of HR at Paulstra CRC, a subsidiary of Hutchinson SA in Paris — with a clear conviction and very little certainty. No consulting clients. No publishing track record. No stage.

He built the firm by building relationships and delivering superior quality and service. He wrote 20 books and hundreds of articles to build credibility and boost his brand. He launched workshops and podcasts that became international.

“I knew very little about consulting, publishing, public speaking, or executive training when I started. What I had was purpose, passion, creativity, and resiliency.”

John J Murphy_headshot John J. Murphy, 1988

 

Through ongoing referrals and measurable results, his client list grew to multi-national corporations, Fortune 100s, universities, government agencies, and the US military.

Key milestones

  • University of Notre Dame | BBA Finance · Quarterback

    Played quarterback for Notre Dame. The discipline and team-first philosophy became the foundation for everything that followed.
  • 1984 | Corporate Director of HR, Paulstra CRC
    Corporate director of Human Resources for Paulstra CRC (Hutchinson SA, Paris, France). The last corporate role before going independent.
  • 1988 | Founded Venture Management Consultants
    Left corporate. First workshop — Pulling Together — delivered to a bank and a manufacturer in Grand Rapids.
  • 1993 — Present | 20 Books Published
    From Pulling Together to Miracle-Minded Manager — three decades of writing on Change Mastery and Inner Peace.
  • ADP Flagship Engagement | 1,000+ Trained · 2.5 Years Full-Time
    Trained over 1,000 ADP people, including two CEOs. Built a referral network that continues generating business today.
  • 2025 | Fuel AI Launched · Palm Beach, Florida
    38 years of methodology now available through Fuel AI — an intelligent coaching platform for executives everywhere, 24/7.

The Philosphy

Ancient Wisdom. Modern Results

John is one of the rare few who bridge ancient, spiritual wisdom and modern operational science — integrating inner peace with Lean methodology, fearless leadership with measurable process improvement.

His book titles tell the story: Zentrepreneur. Sage Leadership. Miracle-Minded Manager. Beyond Doubt. The spiritual dimension is never separate from the operational work — it’s the foundation of it.

The same Five Whys that find root cause in a factory works on a relationship, a health challenge, a career that’s stalled.

Selected titles

  • Zentrepreneur: Get Out of the Way and Lead
  • Sage Leadership: Reawakening the Spirit in Work
  • Miracle-Minded Manager
  • Beyond Doubt: Four Steps to Inner Peace
  • Agent of Change · Pulling Together · Habits Die Hard
  • Change Mastery — The Two-Word Brand
    Every book, every keynote, every Kaizen event teaches the same thing: how to master change. Not manage it, not survive it — master it.
  • The Fifth-Grade Tool Set
    DMAIC. The Five Whys. Value stream mapping. Poka-yoke. John’s genius is making these tools so accessible a team can use them on a real problem and solve it by Friday.
  • Ignorance Is Always the Root Cause
    “Any problem on the planet, if you drill down five levels, you get to ignorance as the root cause. If we knew better, we’d do better.”
  • Inner Peace Is Operational, Not Optional
    Ego and fear are the hidden root cause of most organizational dysfunction. A leader who operates from inner peace creates conditions where people do their best work.
  • Results Must Be Measurable
    John doesn’t run workshops and leave. He builds a process where teams measure current state, apply root cause analysis, and lock in results with standard work.

Track Record

Proven at the Highest Level for 38 Years.

38
Years of Consulting Experience

1000+
Trained at ADP Alone

50+
Countries Where John Has Trained

500+
Media Appearances Worldwide

ADP | BMW | Eli Lilly | GE | GSK | Hilton | Lockheed Martin | Merck | Raytheon | US Navy | Wiley | CIA
“You remain one of the most inspiring people I have ever worked with. I use the lessons you taught me every day.”
Phil Meer, CEO, SciSure · Former ADP Executive
“In addition to contracting John to deliver training to thousands of my associates, I have attended his workshops myself with our entire executive team. It is truly engaging, impressive and transformational.”
John C. Ayala, President, ADP

“John Murphy is one of those rare finds that possess a combination of skills, character, and courage needed to help people improve their personal and organizational performance.”

Mike Simmons, Continuous Improvement Consultant

Recognition & Awards

The Body of Work is Recognized

  • MSN Top 10 Leading Speaker 2025
    Recognized among the world’s most sought-after keynote speakers
  • Selling Power Leading Consultant 2025
    Top management consultant selection by Selling Power magazine
  • COVR Award — Miracle-Minded Manager
    Coalition of Visionary Resources award winner
  • Best Inspirational Book 2010 — Beyond Doubt
    Recognized for outstanding contribution to inspirational literature
  • Marquis Who’s Who
    Global recognition for leadership and organizational excellence

On Stage With

John has shared the stage with the world’s most recognized voices.

From military leaders to bestselling authors to championship coaches — John’s keynote career has placed him alongside some of the most influential people of the last four decades.

  • General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

  • Zig Ziglar
  • Denis Waitley
  • Rocky Bleier
  • Anthony Robbins

Work With John

The work is exceptional. It is time for it to be known

If something in your organization keeps coming back, no matter how many times you’ve fixed it, let’s find the real cause. 15 minutes, no agenda.