Author Talk - Bringing Purpose To Leadership | NYC Tech Events - GarysGuide

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Author Talk - Bringing Purpose To Leadership Gary Event

With Mike Hayes (ex-Commanding Officer, SEAL Team Two & Author, Mission Driven), Neil Blumenthal (Co-Founder, Warby Parker).

	NY Public Library, 476 5th Ave, Celeste Auditorium
	Dec 10 (Wed) , 2025 @ 06:00 PM
	FREE

DETAILS

Get ready to dive deep into the world of purpose-driven leadership with Mission Driven - it's going to be inspiring!
*This event will take place in-person & online.

Join the New York Public Library Career Services team for a dual conversation with Mike Hayes, author of the newly released Mission Driven: The Path to a Life of Purpose, & Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker. This event will discuss Mike's new book as well as their individual entrepreneurial journeys. This event is focused on those in the workforce looking to make a career transition & find purpose in the employment that they're seeking. Free giveaways will be available at the event!

To join the event in person | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission.

To join the event online | Please register for an Online Ticket. A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page & sent via email. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register!

Registration is required, & space is limited. Sign up today to secure your spot!

About the Book
Mission Driven offers a practical guide for transition points: young people, recent graduates, professionals shifting to new roles, or people shifting to find new balance in their lives. It is divided into two sections: The Long Game (figuring out who you want to be, how you define success, & what kind of impact you're looking to have in your own life & the world) & The Short Game (moving readers from the who to the how, taking the learnings they've gathered in the first half of the book & applying them toward building their lives & finding their next great opportunities).

Its lessons include:
Not What You Want To Be, But Who You Want to Be
The Most Powerful Secret I Know: Helping Others Helps Us More
Getting Comfortable Making Decisions
Finding Enough In The Ways You Spend Your Time

Whether someone is at the beginning of their journey or, at any stage, looking for more, Mission Driven is a roadmap for discovering what drives you, & a playbook for translating those drives into opportunities. It is a book to help us satisfy our ambitions & our souls, filled with smart, empathetic guidance.

About the Author
MIKE HAYES is the former commanding officer of SEAL Team Two, leading a two-thousand-person Special Operations task force in southeastern Afghanistan. In addition to a twenty-year career as a SEAL, Mike was a White House fellow, served two years as director of defense policy & strategy at the National Security Council, & has worked directly with both Presidents George W. Bush & Barack Obama. Beyond his military & government service, Mike is the founding board member of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, & his own 501(c)(3), the 1162 Foundation, which has paid off twelve Gold Star widow mortgages to date. In the private sector, Mike has served in several C-level roles & is currently managing director at Insight Partners, a software investment firm with $90 billion of assets under management & 600+ portfolio companies.

About the Conversation Partner
NEIL BLUMENTHAL is a co-founder & co-CEO of Warby Parker, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand focused on vision for all. Since day one, over twenty million pairs of glasses have been distributed through the company's Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. Neil has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, & one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. He serves on the board of directors of Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG), as well as the nonprofit organizations Robin Hood, Tech:NYC, the Partnership Fund for New York City, & the Warby Parker Impact Foundation. Neil is also a co-founder & General Partner of the early stage venture capital firm, Good Friends. A native of New York City, Neil received his BA from Tufts University & his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Get More From Career Services at NYPL
Find essential professional development support, resources, webinars, & events for job seekers & professionals looking to craft an effective professional portfolio to enhance their career. NYPL's Career Services team offers FREE virtual & in-person support to help you achieve your career or employment goals, which include coaching, resume or cover letter writing, job application support, & career development events. If you have questions about these offerings, please contact us: careerservices@nypl.org

Assistive Listening, ASL, Accommodations & Resources
ASL interpretation & real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.

For more information or for an accommodation, please email accessibility@nypl.org. To learn more about the accessibility of NYPL websites & mobile applications, see our Web & Mobile Accessibility Policy.

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