Derrick McManus
Derrick McManus, Shot 14 times Alone. Conscious. Bleeding for three hours Thirty seconds from death Two years later, he returned to police sniper and counter-terrorist operative This is neither a survival nor motivational story. It’s a lived experience case study in how people think, decide, and perform at the highest levels — under extreme and sustained pressure. What most people call resilience was never going to be enough. Human Durability is something far more It’s a capacity to perform under any pressure There’s a powerful difference between coping and capacity. Organisations don’t fail because of pressure - they fail because leaders lack the capacity to manage it. Pressure today is constant. Leaders are expected to: Think clearly Decide decisively Communicate confidently Act quickly and boldly Amid uncertainty, complexity, competing demands, and sustained pressure. The issue is not pressure. It’s whether your people have the capacity - personal, professional, and mental - to sustain performance under it.
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Derrick McManus was a South Australian Police officer operating in the elite Special Tasks And Rescue (STAR) Group. He held specialist skills as a sniper, diver and was trained by the military elite Special Air Services Regiment (SAS) in counter-terrorist tactics. This is a physically, mentally and emotionally demanding environment. It is an extreme, potentially overwhelming, VUCA environment in every way.
Derrick’s team had been tasked to arrest a high-risk offender. He was obviously not very keen on being arrested. He fired 18 times in less than 5 seconds and hit Derrick 14 times. Derrick was then lying on the ground bleeding for 3 hours prior to his rescue.
Doctors Say, “I actually don’t know how Derrick survived. He’s am amazing human being.”
It was also anticipated that Derrick would suffer massive post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD) and be in psychological therapy for decades after such a massive traumatic event.
Three months after the shooting, Derrick had a single appointment with the Director of the Adelaide Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies – an international expert in traumatic stress. Derrick defied all odds and amazed everyone when he was immediately psychologically cleared to go back to full duties with the elite STAR Group (obviously his physical injuries took much longer).
Derrick had proactively prepared himself physically, mentally AND emotionally for the challenges he could expect as a result of the choices he had made. He took responsibility for his actions and for all possible consequences. This format has been developed into the model for Human Durability and forms the basis of the philosophies within the Australian Centre for Human Durability.
Derrick has been a speaker and trainer on the international speaking circuit for the past 20 years. He’s presented to audiences of 7 people to 4000 people, 5 year old students to staff/team leaders to executives/CEO’s through to retirees.
Derrick provides the insights and the tools to go beyond resilience to durability and create sustained optimum performance. He will show you how to create greater success for your people, leaders and the organization.
Talks that move a room to act
Each keynote is tailored to your audience, theme and outcomes.
KEYNOTE 01: HUMAN DURABILITY AND RESILIENCE CAPACITY UNDER PRESSURE
Build leaders who can: Go beyond bounce-back resilience; Think clearly and decide under pressure; Sustain high-performance without burnout; Regulate themselves and their teams; Deliver consistent outcomes over time. This integrates: Lived practical exper
KEYNOTE 02: MIND MASTERY
Mindset + Mind Management
Mindset is powerful but static; Mind Management defines how you improvise, adapt and perform under pressure; Together, they create Mind Mastery. Mind Mastery combines Leadership for self and team. These are the pillars utilised by the Australian and British SAS, the US Delta Force and Marines, and Derrick’s Police STAR Force, to cultivate calm, clear, strategic thinking that separates high-performers from those who procrastinate and crumble. ROI: Confident, composed, strategic under pressure; proactive Vs reactive decisions and action; reduced burnout + improved mental wellbeing; optimised team performance.
KEYNOTE 03: THE 7 PILLARS OF TACTICAL LEADERSHIP
Transform Team Performance Transform Team Pressure into Team Performance.
These pillars are utilised by the Australian and British SAS, the USA Delta Force and Marines, and Derrick’s Police STAR Force, to cultivate calm, clear, strategic thinking under pressure. Now you can build that same standard into your team and leadership DNA. You’ll walk away with: Battle-tested framework for leading under pressure; Practical tools for ownership and accountability; The tools to create seriously high-performance teams Consistent results - not excuses.
ROI: Greater team cohesion, engagement and successes; accelerated talent/leadership development; reduced burnout & turnover; increased personal & interpersonal resilience.
KEYNOTE 04: UNDER SIEGE
High Stakes Negotiation Mastery
Derrick delivers frameworks forged in successful hostage crises, courtroom battles and corporate challenges. Derrick combines communication in crisis with crisis authority to create mutually desired outcomes for all parties, through collaboration not conflict, that make a difference to you and your business. Master: Personal confidence and commanding presence; Anticipate their priorities Leading conversations to collaborative outcomes ROI: Confidence to lead negotiations; confidence to build successful strategies; understand and influence mindsets and outcomes; create stronger relationships for the future.
KEYNOTE 05: POST TRAUMATIC GROWTH V PTSD
Every psych and medical expert expected PTSD. Instead, Derrick experienced Post-Traumatic Growth — and that outcome was not accidental. In the immediate aftermath, he proactively sought out a psychiatrist, understanding that how he processed what happened would define everything that followed. That decision became the foundation of Human Durability and Mind Mastery.
Three months after being shot 14 times, he was cleared for full operational duties — no ongoing therapy required. Albeit physically, it took 2.5 years.
If you want a mental health speaker who shifts how your people think — not just how they feel — Derrick is the obvious choice.
Inspiring reads by Derrick McManus
Explore publications and books authored by Derrick McManus.
What your audience walks away with
Belief
Living proof that more is possible, no matter the starting point.
Resilience
Practical strength they can use the moment they leave the room.
Permission
To talk openly about mental health and support one another.
Momentum
The motivation to act, reinvent and perform at a higher level.
What organisers say
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