The Executive Who Built the System.
Donald Thompson has spent more than 25 years building and scaling companies across technology, marketing, and organizational performance. He is a multi-exit entrepreneur, a three-time Inc. 5000 executive, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Today he serves as Managing Director of the Workplace Options Center for Organizational Effectiveness. The Employee Engagement Growth Model is the system he built along the way.
Years of senior executive leadership
High Octane Leadership podcast, globally
Published leadership books
Where the EEGM Came From
Most executives know engagement matters. Donald built the Employee Engagement Growth Model to give leaders a practical way to examine how the conditions they help create shape the employee experience and influence how teams perform. It came from building real companies under real pressure and watching what moved the needle.
Today Donald works with executive teams, founders, and senior leaders who want their culture to be a competitive advantage, not a liability. He is a trusted advisor, a sought-after speaker, and the author of three published leadership books. His work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Adweek, Entrepreneur, HR.com, and Reworked. He hosts the High Octane Leadership podcast, rated in the top 5% globally.
Built for Executive Teams and Leadership Audiences.
Donald speaks at executive conferences, HR leadership summits, and corporate leadership development programs. His most requested topics connect directly to the EEGM: employee engagement as a business strategy, leadership excellence, AI and workforce readiness, and trust-based executive authority.
Recent Speaking Engagements
- 10th Annual People Analytics Summit, Toronto
- Triangle CHRO Association, Raleigh
- Raleigh Metro SHRM HR Professional Development Series
- NC TECH Summit for Women in Tech, Wilmington
Donald's Other Work
ReceptivEQ, Donald's framework for measuring how open a team is to change.
Move From Engagement Scores to Execution.
The Executive Brief puts the business case for employee engagement, the Employee Engagement Growth Model, and five questions for the executive team in one short document.
Download the Executive Brief