Lachie Smart

Lachie Smart is an outstanding young Australian adventurer. He set the world record for the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world, whilst creating a social movement about youth capability. Since then, he has been working with organisations around the world to develop their emerging leaders. He is an expert when it comes to understanding and knowing how to work with the millennial and post-millennial generations.

Lachie is an insightful keynote speaker who draws on his unique experiences and understanding of tomorrow’s leaders, to help others unlock the extraordinary potential of what’s often referred to as a ‘misunderstood generation’.

More about Lachie Smart:

At just 18, in 2016 Lachie Smart became the youngest person in the world to fly solo around the earth. The eight-week world flight took 2.5 years to plan, but Lachie’s preparation for the journey began well before this.

At age 13, Lachie had joined the Australian Air Force Cadets, where he worked his way to a leadership position. His roles included instructing other cadets in several areas including aviation and field activities until resigning from the organisation in late 2016.

At age 16, Lachie went for his first solo flight, then at 17 he gained his private pilot’s licence.

Since returning from the flight Lachie has lived and worked in both Australia and the USA, speaking on his experiences, whilst developing a medical manufacturing company to become market leading in its area. Lachie is also heavily involved in youth personal development as a leading keynote speaker in Australian National Young Leaders Days and regularly called in to present to large and small corporations on intergenerational management and young leadership development, just as he set out to prove over half a decade ago..

It is Lachie’s mission to prove to others that they too can overcome the challenges of high achievement from any age. Lachie is assisting people to go beyond, and to achieve more than they ever realised they could. From nearly being arrested to slipping through huge storms, audiences will enjoy Lachie’s thrilling stories from his adventures and leave feeling ready to take on the world.

Lachie has delivered school valedictory addresses, presented keynotes at large corporate fundraising events and given motivational university lectures.

Lachie Smart talks about:

The millennial and post-millennial generations have created challenges for the traditional corporate environment. The new generation of tech savvy, socially focused and anti-hierarchical workers have thrown a spanner in the works of rigid companies and their high mobility rate has made recruiting and retaining staff difficult. The mass disruption of society caused by technology has caused drastic changes of mindset in new generations. Lachie helps companies navigate these challenges, using the perceived setbacks as foundations to success.

His topics cover:

The 5 step Values Based Goal Setting technique: The best procedure for not only achieving what you want to achieve but making sure you have the mental tools needed to push through when times get tough.

Setbacks are the foundations to success: One of Lachie’s greatest failures ended up saving his life. Breaking down the natural mental response, he now highlights how to use gratitude to treat and then utilise failure.

The Power of Persistence: When everyone else gives up, that’s when we should give more. Learn the mindset tricks that carried Lachie through his most trying times.

Pilot Prioritisation of Information (The Larry Game): Our brains consistently are bombarded with too much information to give our attention to. Learn how pilots prioritise information and how this can work in day-to-day life.

Tackling Tall Poppy Syndrome:  It is an issue in many organisations and schools across Australia, where ideas and achievements are cut down by less motivated peers. The foundation of this issue, misunderstanding, is where the solution can be found.

Bridging the gap between generations: Generational diversity is important. Overcoming the challenges of intergenerational management and understanding the differences between generations is essential to all organisations.

Building credibility as a young person: It starts with baby steps, but you can build credibility as a young person which allows you to take on bigger tasks with the right backing.

Partnerships – The Power of Community: Lachie forged partnerships worth over half a million dollars by 18. Since then he has applied these skills in business to values exceeding millions of dollars around the world. He shares his experience in this topic.