Available to book
Michael Hayes
Transform leadership and crisis management with Michael Hayes, speaker and former Navy SEAL commander. Michael works with organizations to develop resilient leaders, enhance strategic decision-making, and improve performance under pressure, leveraging expertise from White House policy roles and Special Operations leadership.
Michael Hayes, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs, with experience in two White House administrations and senior executive roles in the private sector, has become a master at helping organizations develop stronger leaders and improve their bottom line.
Mike has led and learned from many crises during his SEAL service, including deployments throughout South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. He has been involved in conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as dealing with national issues in the White House Situation Room and sensitive corporate strategy in the boardroom.
His last role in the Navy was as the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, which included ten months as the Commander of a 2000-person Special Operations Task Force in southeastern Afghanistan.
As a White House Fellow (08/09), he served two years as the director of defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council. In the Bush Administration, Hayes was responsible for the START Treaty and conducted negotiations with the Russians in Moscow. In the Obama administration, Hayes led the White House response to President Obama's first major foreign policy showdown - the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia.
Now a highly in-demand coach and speaker, Mike draws on examples from his illustrious career to teach clients how to think rather than what to think. He emphasizes that a leader's job is not to make the best decision but rather to ensure that the best decision is made. He also emphasizes the importance of being comfortable with discomfort, as it is a key tenet of high-performance individuals and organizations.
Mike offers your team insights from a seasoned Navy SEAL on leadership, crisis management, and high-performance strategies. His real-world experiences from the battlefield to the boardroom will inspire and equip your team to make better decisions, embrace discomfort, and significantly enhance your organization's effectiveness.
often considered together
Stephen Drum
Effective Leadership
High Performance
Dealing With Pressure
Rorke Denver
High Performance
Resilience
Mike Abrashoff
Company Culture
Transformational Leadership
Team Building
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email michael.hayes@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Michael's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Michael Hayes draws on case studies from his career as a Navy SEAL commander and White House policy director to illustrate leadership principles, framing examples around decision-making processes rather than outcomes.
Michael Hayes draws on sessions covering leadership development, high-performance culture, decision-making under pressure, and resilience in crisis. He served as Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO and directed defence policy and strategy at the National Security Council across two White House administrations, including leading the White House response to the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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