
Professor/Researcher/Consultant/Speaker
Co-Founder of Black River Performance Management*
Rob Lion, PHD
TOPICS - • Behavior • Change • Decision Making
• Human Resources • Leadership • Management
• Master of Ceremonies • Motivation
• Performance • Strategy • Team Building
• Workplace Culture
Dr. rob lion - PROGRAMS
- The Dynamic Art of Leadership: Beyond Merely a Recipe
- From Flop to Flourish: Why Great Ideas Fall Short
- Motivation is an Inside Job: A Guide for Leaders
- The 5 Powerful Leadership Insights That Drive Performance and Well-Being (and nobody is talking about)
- Beyond the Buzzwords: What Really Fuels Employee Engagement


Dr. rob lion - Biography
With over 20 years of expertise in workplace culture, leadership development, and performance improvement, Dr. Rob Lion is a seasoned authority in human resource development and organizational behavior. Rob collaborates with executives and community leaders to design sustainable, people-first workplace systems that drive success.
As a dynamic speaker and thought leader, Rob is passionate about transforming workplace environments through innovative, evidence-based solutions. His consultancy, Black River Performance Management, specializes in improving leadership practices, optimizing team performance, and addressing complex organizational challenges. By leveraging a deep understanding of the psychology of work, human behavior, and relationship development, Rob delivers strategic insights that produce measurable and lasting results.
Rob’s guiding philosophy—“work should fuel the human spirit, not drain it”—has inspired transformation in organizations across industries such as nonprofits, education, government, natural resources, health, beauty, Tribal government, food and beverage, and financial services. His work emphasizes clarity in leadership processes, aligning organizational strategies with a profound understanding of staff talents and organizational attributes.
Renowned for his creative and innovative approaches, Rob’s expertise extends to team development, employee engagement, strategic planning, and leadership training. By collaborating closely with leaders, he helps organizations build thriving teams, foster employee well-being, and cultivate workplace cultures that support long-term growth and success.

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Dr. rob lion - MEDIA

Rob's Podcasts (Click on the links below)
-Rob Lion joins DR Leadership on the Leadership Lounge: Building a Culture That Sticks
-The Hard Skills Podcast with Mira Brancu – How much does Identity and Culture Matter in Shaping Team
Dynamics and Outcomes? with Rob Lion
-Culture Change Rx with host Sue Tetzlaff: 1-on-1s Done Right: Build Culture, Performance & Relationships
with Rob Lion
-The Power Up Podcast with Martin Coburn: Human Flourishing in the Modern Workplace with Dr. Rob Lion
-It’s Not Therapy with Liana Kerzner, guest Rob Lion- How To Stop Hating Working With Other People
-Guest Podcast: I Need to F***ing Talk to You with Russell Stratton & Ken Cameron – Work should fuel the
human spirit not F***ing drain it, with Rob Lion
-Guest Podcast: The HR Uprising with Lucinda Carney – Mastering Motivation -with Rob Lion
https://hruprising.com/podcast-episode-248-mastering-motivation-with-rob-lion/
-Compassionate Leadership: Fostering Vulnerability, Trust and Joy in the Workplace
-Beyond the Self: Performance that Empowers Others with Destwin J. Adotey and Rob Lion

Click on the link below for Rob’s blog posts that provide a unique view of organizational issues. https://blackriverpm.com/blog/
- Do Athletes Really “Just Do It” Better? Unpacking the Research
- It’s Great to Have Values, but Do You Have the Skills?
- Give Me Growers, Not Show-ers
- Dylan’s Dis-ease – How Our Energy Affects Others
- Growth Requires Nourishment – Where Are You Getting Yours?
- Big “G” or Little “g” Grievance? The Difference Matters
- Feedback is Like Most Other Gifts; We Appreciate it More When it is Something We Want
- Would You Rather Climb a Mountain or Provide Someone Feedback?
- The Significance of the Position Description Build
- Annual Reviews, an Annual Blunder?
Below is a selection of Academic papers Rob has authored/co-authored
- Athletic Identity and Discretionary Effort at Work (examination of athlete motivation and mental framework spillover into the workplace) Organization Management Journal
- Can Pronouns Predict Work Intentions? (study of the relationship between pronoun use and job engagement) Journal of Organizational Psychology
- When Autonomy and Empowerment Become Neglect: A Case on Guiding Employees to Complete Undesirable Tasks (an examination of how autonomy and empowerment can lead to less than desirable outcomes) Journal of Business Cases and Applications
- When Feelings Matter (the role emotions play in influencing motivation and behaviors) Advances in Developing Human Resources