10 lessons from
10 years in Big Tech
A personal development keynote for people asking what their next step should be. Ten lessons from a career at Google and Oracle about growth, visibility and making a meaningful contribution.
Why this talk
Career advice is often polished in hindsight. This keynote is different. Mick Brands turns more than a decade at Oracle and Google into ten honest lessons about visibility, uncertainty, strengths, relationships, impact and change.
Personal stories are paired with accessible research and practical ideas designed to change what people do next.
What audiences leave with
- Make good work visible - without becoming the loudest person in the room.
- Treat plans as hypotheses and uncertainty as a normal part of progress.
- Stretch beyond comfort without tipping into overload.
- Protect priorities, use your strengths and become easier to work with.
- Lead with measurable impact and adapt before change forces you to.
An honest career conversation, built for action.
Talk about yourself
Make valuable work visible in a way that still feels authentic.
Your current plan likely won't work out
Use direction without mistaking a plan for certainty.
Get out of your comfort zone
Choose stretches that build confidence without creating overload.
Being smart isn't the same as being effective
Turn knowledge into decisions, momentum and results.
Learn to say no
Protect the priorities that matter most.
Play to your strengths
Build around the contribution you can make unusually well.
Nobody knows what they're doing
Replace perfection with curiosity and useful action.
Be nice to work with
Make trust and relationships part of performance.
Lead with impact
Connect activity to outcomes people can understand.
Embrace change
Adapt before circumstances make the decision for you.
A strong fit for
Conferences and summits, leadership offsites and company kick-offs, early-career and new-manager programmes, and teams navigating growth or change.
Grounded in experience
Experience across varied roles in technology - from bringing new products to market to building long-term partnerships - turns the lessons into relatable stories rather than abstract theory.
Format
A tailored keynote with optional Q&A, adapted to your audience and event objective. Available in English or Dutch.
Download the one-pager
A concise summary you can share with your event team.
When the next career step is not obvious
Growth does not always mean a promotion or a perfectly mapped-out plan. This talk is a useful starting point for early-career programmes, new-manager events and teams navigating a change in direction. It asks people to examine the choices they can influence.
This is a reflective keynote, not individual career counselling or a promise of promotion. For an event focused on commercial strategy or organisational technology choices, explore the other two talks.
The conversation after the keynote
Which strength could you use more deliberately—and who needs to understand the value you bring?
Planning this keynote
Who is this keynote a strong fit for?
Conferences and summits, leadership offsites and company kick-offs, early-career and new-manager programmes, and teams navigating growth or change.
What duration works best?
Share the time available in your agenda. Mick can then discuss the most useful keynote format and whether to include the optional Q&A.
Is the keynote available in English or Dutch?
Yes. The keynote is available in English or Dutch.
Can the keynote be tailored to our event?
Yes. It is tailored to your audience and event objective, with an optional Q&A.
Can it be delivered in person or online?
Include your preferred format and location in your enquiry. Mick will confirm what is possible for your event.
How do I discuss or book this keynote?
Email Mick with your event date, audience, objective, available time and preferred format or location. He will discuss the fit and help shape the most useful angle for your event.
Mick Brands
Mick is a strategic advisor and speaker. More than a decade at Oracle and Google grounds his practical stories about growth, people and technology.
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