Are you planning an event?

Do you need to hire a trusted expert for a virtual meeting, conference, corporate event, seminar, trade-show, convention, or company workshop?

Here is a list of the best leadership speakers to consider for your event that can deliver a memorable speech and presentation that will inspire, educate, and entertain your audience.

These experts on leadership can cover a wide range of topics including personal responsibility, overcoming adversity, never giving up, teamwork, innovation, building a positive mindset, and more.

If you would like to hire any of these speakers or need more suggestions, fill out this form and our agent will respond within two business hours.

Please note, we work with over 5000 experts and thought leaders who may not be listed on our site.

Contents show

Jocko Willink

John Gretton “Jocko” Willink is a former US Navy Seal who led a platoon during the Iraq War where he received the Silver and Bronze star for his service.

He bursted on to the scene as a speaker when he published his book “Extreme Ownership” and gave his infamous TEDx talk where his voice penetrated the audience with a powerful message: stop blaming others and accept your responsibility.

As a leadership keynote speaker, his talks he will cover such topics as self discipline, motivation, teamwork, and of course, leadership.

If you want to inspire your team to be great leaders, then Jocko can do that. His presence commands the stage and you will be locked in to every word he says.

Here are some of his quotes:

“Discipline equals freedom.”

“Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership, and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.”

“Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on Discipline.”

John Maxwell

Recognized as the most influential leadership expert in the world by Business Insider and the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association, John C. Maxwell has been inspiring people and businesses for over 25 years.

As an accomplished author and pastor, he has sold over 25 million books including “Developing the Leader Within You”, “Laws of Leadership”, and “Becoming a Person of Influence.”

As a leadership motivational speaker, he will cover such topics as leadership, integrity, building relationships, communication, success, hard work, and more.

Here are some of his quotes:

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”

Simon Sinek

Known as the “Why Guy”, Simon Sinek is on a mission to inspire people to understand why they are motivated to do the things they do in life and in business.

His book, “Start With Why” has sold over one million copies and he has also partnered with Ernst & Young to create products that help business change the way they do things to become more effective and efficient.

A a leadership conference speaker who has spoken in front of thousands of people at events for the United Nations, US Congress, US Navy, and more, Simon can cover a wide range of topics including team building, innovation, motivation, and more.

His TED talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” has over 11 million views.

Here are some of his quotes:

“The great leaders are not the strongest, they are the ones who are honest about their weaknesses. The great leaders are not the smartest; they are the ones who admit how much they don’t know. The great leaders can’t do everything; they are the ones who look to others to help them. Great leaders don’t see themselves as great; they see themselves as human.”

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.”

Jon Gordon

Jon Gordon is the author of “The Power Of Positive Leadership” where he talks about the importance of leading people by being positive.

In his book, he points out how negative situations will arise no matter what and that as a leader, you must be able to focus on the positive if you want to “…build a great culture, unite your organization in the face of adversity, develop a connected and committed team and achieve excellence and superior results.”

As a business leadership speaker, Jon can cover such topics as culture, sales, growing your business, teamwork, customer service, and the importance of positive thinking.

Here are some of his quotes:

“As a leader, it is so important that your words equal your actions. It is imperative that you make sure that you go through a self-evaluation process on an almost daily basis to make sure that your actions are in line with your words. You must do what you say and say what you do.”

“One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else.”

Brene Brown

Brene Brown is a professor at the University of Houston and the author of five NY Times Bestsellers including her book, “Dare to Lead”.

She is a different type of leadership public speaker as she does not use force or dominant strength to inspire her audience. In her book, she explains that “Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential.”

As a leadership guest speaker, she has given talks for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Amazon, AT&T, PBS, and more.

Here are some of her quotes:

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.”

“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

“You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger has many accolades under his belt including Mr. Olympia, the Governor of California, movie star for hit films The Terminator, philanthropist, and more.

Throughout his career, you will see a man who was determined to succeed at everything he did and lead by example.

As a leadership event speaker, he loves to inspire others to be the best version of themselves and for everyone to stand up and be their own leader.

Here are some of his quotes:

“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”

“Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we’re never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?”

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

Mike Hayes

As the former commanding officer of Seal Team Two, Mike Hayed understands what it means to be a leader.

With a wide array of experience in dealing with conflicts in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and many other countries throughout Asia and the Middle East, Mike developed many vital skills that he now shares throughout his presentations.

During his talks, he can cover such topics as focus, motivation, communications, organizational design, strategy, innovation, and more.

Libby Gill

As the former head of PR and communications for major corporations such as Universal, Turner Broadcasting, and Sony, Libby Gill has been honing her leadership skills where she now runs her own consulting and executive coaching firm.

She has inspired many audiences at organizations such as Honda, Disney, Cisco, Intel, Viacom, PayPal, and more.

Here is one of her quotes:

“Capture the Mindshare – that is, the heads, hearts and loyalty of others – and the market share will follow.”

Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma believes that within each individual, there is a leader waiting to be activated.

His mission is to help individuals and businesses to lead without title and has authored ten bestselling books including: “The Leader Who Had No title.”

As the founder of Sharma Leadership International, he has partnered with such organizations as Harvard Business School, Microsoft, Nike, NASA, IBM and more.

Here are some of his quotes:

“Great achievement always requires great sacrifice.”

“Fill your brain with giant dreams so that there’s no space for petty pursuits.”

“Don’t confuse activity with productivity. Many people are simply busy being busy.”

Mike Ditka

Mike Ditka is a three-time Superbowl champion and the coach of the The Chicago Bears where he led his players to an NFL championship in 1963.

Known as “Iron Mike” his tough and gritty approach to life and business has inspired millions around the world where discusses such topics as team-building, discipline, hard work, overcoming adversity, and courage.

Here are some of his quotes:

“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.”

“Success isn’t permanent, and failure isn’t fatal.”

“Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.”

Marc Benioff

As the CEO and chairman of Salesforce.com, one of the largest SaaS platforms in the world used by major Fortune 1000 companies to drive their business, Marc Benioff is considered a leader and visionary innovator in the tech world.

With over 35 years of experience in the software industry, he has worked with companies such as Oracle and Google until he decided to lead his own venture.

During his presentations, he can cover such topics as innovation, leadership, futurism, customer service, and the need for young entrepreneurs.

Here are some of his quotes:

“You innovate and add value, deliver value back to customers, and you get value back from the world.”

“In order to remain relevant, you must establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.”

“The world is being re-shaped by the convergence of social, mobile, cloud, big data, community and other powerful forces. The combination of these technologies unlocks an incredible opportunity to connect everything together in a new way and is dramatically transforming the way we live and work.”

Sully Sullenberger

Played by Tom Hanks in the 2016 film “Sully”, Sully Sullenberger is an airline pilot and the well-known public hero who saved countless lives when he took charge of his plane that was destined to crash and landed it in the Hudson River (aka “Miracle on the Hudson).

Since then, he has published a book called “Making a Difference” and travels the world giving talks about leadership, courage, hope, and believing in yourself.

Here is one of his quotes:

“Everyone’s reputation is made on a daily basis. There are little incremental things—worthwhile efforts, moments you were helpful to others—and after a lifetime, they can add up to something. You can feel as if you lived and it mattered.”

Mike Abrashoff

Mike Abrashoff is known as being a junior officer in the Navy where he took command of a very poor running ship and completely transformed how it was being run within 12 months where it became the best ship in the entire Navy (with the exact same crew).

In his book “It’s Your Ship” which has sold over 1 million copies, he outlines a “Leadership Roadmap” in which he offers very clear instructions on how to transform your organization.

Here are some of his quotes:

“Leadership is mostly the art of doing simple things very well.”

“Show me an organization in which employees take ownership, and I will show you one that beats its competitors.”

“Leaders must be willing to put the ship’s performance ahead of their egos, which for some is harder than others.”

Mark C. Thompson

As an executive leadership coach and NY Times bestselling author, Mark Thompson is a high profile advisor to some of the top execs in the world including Tony Robbins, Sir Richard Branson, and LYFT founder Logan Green.

During his presentations, he can cover such topics as business transformation, sales growth, building an admired brand, and more.

Bill Mcdermott

As the CEO of SAP, Bill Mcdermott is widely known in the tech industry as being a leader and innovator where he transformed their American division.

The companies morale and performance was at an all time low before he took the reign. After becoming their leader, he changed the company culture around and focused on creating a winning environment for both customer and employees.

Here is one of his quotes:

“Winning was the process, not the destination. A journey of striving to be better—to be kinder, more compassionate, hungrier, more humble, more audacious, more inspiring, more rigorous—that was what turned me on, what inspired me. The quest was the best.”

Eric Schmidt

When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the company Google, investors knew they were going to need to bring in someone who could truly lead the company to its greatest heights. That person was Eric Schmidt who they stole from Apple.

In 2001, Eric joined the search company and scaled it into being one of the biggest publicly traded companies in the world. In 2011 he left the company and is now technical advisor where he still has his hands on the pulse of what is being shaped within the organization.

Here are some of his quotes:

“Our business strategy is not to compete.”

“Serendipity can be calculated now. We can actually produce it electronically.”

Richard Branson

When people think of Richard Branson, they say to themselves “I want to work for that guy.” Why? Because he is eccentric, takes risks, and loves to have fun. He is the type of leader that many have tried to emulate over the years.

After selling Virgin Records for $1 billion dollars, he now focuses a lot of his time on Virgin Atlantic Airways as well as many other fun projects such as going to space which he did on December 13, 2018.

When speaking, he enjoys covering such topics as deal-making, having fun while working, and the importance of taking chances.

Here are some of his quotes:

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”

Need help booking a speaker?

If you are interested in booking any of the speakers on this page or want some more suggestions, use the form below to contact an agent.

We have access to over 5000 experts and thought leaders, many of whom are not listed on this site.

Let one of our agents help you find the perfect speaker that fits your budget, needs, and date.

Speaker Request

Step 1 – Fill out the form below.

Step 2 – Our agent will respond within one business day.

Related speakers:

Recommended reading: