Bob Upgren has dedicated his life to helping individuals and organizations become everything they were created to be. As an author and independent consultant, he has been routinely praised by such organizations as the NBA, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Verizon Wireless, Blue Cross Blue Shield and many more. He has become an invaluable resource in challenging, mentoring, and teaching people of all ages how to leverage their strengths, counter the culture and become truly great leaders who focus on serving others.

As one of the emerging thought leaders in the country, Bob Upgren is consistently called upon to stand before leaders and high potential team members. His unique and fresh take on leadership motivates many groups to invite him back for repeat instruction. The content is always fresh and off-beat, but the motive never changes; Lead others to become everything they were created to be.

As an author, much of Upgren’s latest writings are categorized under the leadership umbrella. His latest book, the Storyteller, released in the fall of 2009, was created for the sole purpose of posing one simple, yet important question, “Who’s leading you?” This subject rooted primarily from his consulting work. After sitting in multiple boardrooms, an extremely interesting issue continued to surface. In nearly every organization he worked with, not one individual knew what their mission statement was. In fact, as Upgren pressed further, it was discovered that vision statements and core value lists were also unknown. With no clarity about the direction and guidelines of operation, how would any organization know where they were going. Who, he would ask, is leading you?

Much of his work today originated 16 years ago. First, came the award-winning Christian Basketball Camp program. The idea of matching sport and faith had never been seen before, and most said it would never work. Despite skeptics, he launched Cross Training, Inc. and has since watched tens of thousands of kids pour into the program. Some of the greatest NBA players in history have attached to his mission of using sport to minister to youth.

Next, in the spirit of true entrepreneurship, he attempted to master a skill he knew nothing about, in an attempt to further separate himself from other speakers across the country. In just four months he became one of only three new school chalk artists in the world and watched as invitations to motivate, inspire, and perform his amazing chalk art came flooding in from across the country. It would be this chalk art that would grow and develop into one of the most powerful metaphors used to lead people to become everything they were created to be.

With so many roles spread out to such a wide variety of audiences, one may conclude that Bob Upgren is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. However, beneath the surface of every speaking engagement, chalk drawing, basketball camp, consulting project and seminar, is a central motive that drives it all. He is willing to enter every situation and do whatever it takes to help people counter the attack of the culture and leverage their abilities to become everything they were created to be.

Fast-forward to today, and you will find Upgren still doing what he loves. His camps overflow each summer and the demand for him to speak and perform his amazing chalk art continues to soar. But now, as one of the emerging thought leaders in the country, he has extended his impact by teaching individuals and groups how to discover their strengths, pursue their passion, and counter the culture. In doing so, Upgren watches in fulfillment as they discover a renewed purpose for the work they do and the life they lead.