USA TODAY & Los Angeles Times Best-selling Author
Meet Bill Fournet
For more than three decades, Bill Fournet has helped leaders navigate change, make decisions under pressure, and keep their teams aligned. As a keynote speaker, strategic advisor, executive coach, and founder and CEO of The Persimmon Group, he helps organizations recognize when conditions have changed and pivot with purpose.
- Founder & CEO, The Persimmon Group
- Author, The Map vs. the Terrain
Bill’s leadership philosophy
Change is constant.
Chaos is
a choice.
Some leaders meet Bill from the audience at a keynote. Others meet him across a boardroom table as their strategic advisor or executive coach. Either way, they get practical guidance grounded in workforce trends and in what works when a team is under pressure.
Bill works with leadership teams in the boardroom and on the stage.
“You gave me clarity on where my mind and energy should be.”
From the trenches
Insight earned from the inside.
- 50+
- Organizations advised
- $10B+
- In projects overseen
Over more than three decades, Bill has helped leaders navigate complex transformation, advising more than 50 organizations across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
His clients include Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and major public-sector agencies. His strategic insight was honed while directing large-scale initiatives at AT&T, IBM, and MTV Networks.
That history is why he connects so easily with leaders who feel overwhelmed by change. He has stood where they stand.
2004
He founded The Persimmon Group
Bill built the award-winning management consulting firm on a belief that work can be engaging, inspiring, and human. He still leads it as CEO, and under his leadership Persimmon has earned national recognition.
- Two-time U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Award winner
- Inc. 500/5000 recognition as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.
- Families and Work Institute’s Effective and Flexible Workplace Award
- Great Place To Work® Certified
- Top 5 Best Places to Work in Consulting
Living what he teaches
Balance isn’t a slogan. It’s a practice.
Bill believes great leaders model balance and purpose. He’s an avid outdoorsman who has backpacked hundreds of miles and summited 14,000-foot mountains.
He has paddled the Canadian Boundary Waters multiple times. His experiences leading teams on backpacking and high-adventure expeditions inform his approach to business leadership: establish a clear purpose, assess changing conditions, and adapt without losing sight of the mission.
The book
A field guide for leading through uncertainty.
In 2026, Bill published The Map vs. the Terrain: A Leader’s Field Guide to Navigating Uncertainty with Wiley. It debuted on USA TODAY’s Best-selling Booklist at No. 1 in business, No. 3 in nonfiction, and No. 9 overall, and reached No. 4 on the Los Angeles Times hardcover nonfiction list.
Inside you'll find 30 of his PowerPlays™, practical leadership techniques that help leaders turn insight into action.
“Leaders looking for practical guidance in a complex world will find it here.”
Giving back
Central to the work.
Current roles
-
Scouting America
Executive Board Member, Indian Nations Council
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 26
District Commissioner, Majestic Mesas District, Greater Colorado Council
Earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1985. Received the NESA Silver Wreath Award in 2024 for leadership of the Indian Nations Council NESA Committee.
-
Collins College of Business, University of Tulsa
Executive Advisory Board
Empowering the next generation of leaders.
Past roles
-
Growing Together, Inc.
Past Chair
Working to end the cycle of poverty through vibrant community-building.
-
STEAM Post 26 & FIRST Robotics
Past Committee Chair
Supporting STEM education.
Accolades
- USA TODAY & Los Angeles Times best-selling author
- NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award
- Silver Beaver Award, Scouting America
- Multi-nominee for “Most Admired CEO” in Oklahoma
- Distinguished Alumnus, Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences (2017)
- Two-time Cowboy 100 Honoree, Oklahoma State University Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Oklahoma State University Foundation
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Vanderbilt University
- Master of Arts in History, Oklahoma State University
- Completed a custom executive education program at the Wharton School while at AT&T
Family
Rooted in family. Shaped by service.
Bill and his wife, Christy, live in Crested Butte, Colorado. They have three adult sons, all Eagle Scouts.
Bill’s father, Douglas Fournet, was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States military’s highest decoration, for his actions in the Vietnam War. Bill describes him as “an ideal—the bar against which I measure myself.”
What do you want to leave behind, pass on, and be remembered for?
Connect with Bill to explore a keynote, leadership workshop, strategic planning engagement, or executive coaching.
Connect with Bill