As the saying goes, “leadership is not a position or a title, it’s action and example.” In our quest for great leaders, we often turn to our peers, mentors, or bosses. But if you’re truly serious about unleashing your team’s leadership potential, it’s time to consider a keynote speaker on leadership. Explore this colorful array of leadership topics and diverse keynote speakers on leadership development. 

If you’re looking for top-rated keynote speakers on leadership, meet the experts: 

1. Matthew Luhn – Top Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Award Winning Film Director, Credits Include Toy Story Films, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, UP, and Ratatouille

Topic: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP: HOW TO BE THE MOVIE HERO OF YOUR OWN STORY

Every story needs a great hero just like every business needs a great leader to inspire its people to achieve audacious goals. How can you become the hero of your own story? Matthew Luhn has more than 20 years of experience creating memorable and impactful heroes as a former Pixar storyteller and animator. In this entertaining and informative talk, Matthew shows you how you can develop your hero traits for leadership and business. By exploring and analyzing the characters of movie heroes and other great story protagonists, audiences will learn how to strengthen their likability, vulnerability, and vision to provide a model of outstanding leadership

2. Molly Bloom – Top Booked Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Subject of the Oscar-nominated film, “Molly’s Game”, Bestselling Author, U.S. Ski Team Alum, and Host of Award-Winning Podcast, “Torched”

Topic: UNDERSTANDING RISK AND BEATING THE ODDS: FROM THE US SKI TEAM CHAMPION WHO WENT FROM OLYMPIC HOPEFUL TO RUNNING THE LARGEST, HIGH-STAKES UNDERGROUND POKER GAME IN THE WORLD

In this engaging session, learn from champion athlete, top booked keynote speaker, best selling author and scrappy entrepreneur Molly Bloom, on lessons from her athletic background and hosting thousands of hours of high stakes poker, business and hustle with the world’s most prolific people in business, entertainment and politics. Participants learn Molly’s framework for managing risk, building courage, designing strategy and the perseverance to stick with it. This is a great presentation for sales, marketing, leadership and general audiences, who want to learn a new framework and be entertained in the process – with Hollywood stories, intrigue and some inside scoop on how the world really operates.

3. Marc Randolph – Keynote Speaker on Leadership, Netflix Cofounder, National Bestselling Author, Executive Mentor and Angel Investor

Topic: THAT WILL NEVER WORK: THE BIRTH OF NETFLIX AND THE AMAZING LIFE OF AN IDEA

Netflix Founder and startup CEO Marc Randolph shares the unlikely story of how a handful of dreamers with no money and a bad idea, created the company that eventually brought down Blockbuster.  Packed with dozens of stories that trace the dramatic ups and downs of those first exciting years, Marc weaves an inspiring story that shows the value of innovation, persistence and optimism.  Along the way he shares some of the many values that he believes made Netflix successful, including a focus on analytics and testing, its novel corporate culture, and its almost fanatical obsession with focus.  Equal parts inspiration, start up story, and practical tips, it’s a message that resonates well with anyone who appreciates a good “overcoming adversity” story.

4. Wema Hoover – Former Google Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI Global Thought Leader, Transformer of Cultures, and Executive Coach

Topic: REFRAMING DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION; HOW DIFFERENCE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

In this keynote session, Wema demonstrates how to harness diversity to unlock an organization’s skills and abilities through inclusive practices leading to increased employee engagement and collaboration, breakthrough thinking and enhanced innovation. Wema also discusses unconscious bias, how to create a culture of belonging, overcoming unconscious bias, cultural competence, and global leadership.

5. Bill Benjamin – Emotional Intelligence, Performance and Keynote Speaker on Leadership

Topic: THE ART OF EMPATHY: BUILDING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN YOUR LEADERS

The cost of replacing an individual employee ranges from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. That means, a 100-person organization that provides an average salary of $50,000 will have turnover and replacement costs of approximately $800,000 to $2.6 million per year.

The worst part? 52% of people who leave say their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. In fact, they said that in the three months before leaving, nobody asked them how they felt about their job, or about their future. What is evident is a lack of empathy in their leaders. It doesn’t have to be this way.

In this powerful virtual or live program, your managers and leaders will learn:

• What the single greatest cause of a lack of empathy is (something they have control over)
• How to grow their skills of Emotional Intelligence so they can tune into the challenges their people are facing before it causes them to leave
• What empathy is and how to build it to empower your innovative and effective people who keep your teams connected and performing at a high level
• How to use brain-science-based strategies to manage their emotions so they can be resilient and a source of calm in your organization
• How to manage through disruptive change 

6. Robyn Benincasa – Top Keynote Speaker on Leadership and Motivation, Retired Firefighter, Adventure Racing World Champion, CNN Hero, and Bestselling Author

Topic: ADAPT, OVERCOME, AND WIN AS ONE!

Get Ready to Win YOUR Most Challenging Races… Add the Inspirational Force of Leadership and Performance to Your Next Event!

If there’s one thing we can all be certain of right now, it’s that change is the only thing that’s going to stay the same. It’s our response to that change that dictates our success. So how do we as leaders inspire the kind of mindset and build the kind of teams that drive our organizations to adapt, overcome and win as ONE in the face of times of extreme challenge and change?

This unique and fast-paced multimedia keynote is inspired by a Fast Company Magazine feature story entitled “Extreme Teamwork” about Robyn’s World Champion Adventure Racing team. Robyn shares the Secrets to Extreme Teamwork that allowed her team to be the most prolific and consistent World Champions in the sport, lessons that are easily applied to the adventures in our business lives. Their team culture of innovation, visionary creativity, relentless lead building, and embracing calculated risk as a strategy for success made them one of the most exciting and successful teams in the history of adventure sports, and in Robyn’s Adapt, Overcome, and Win as One keynote, she shares the mindset and strategies that created their consistent breakthrough performance.

AND Each Virtual Keynote includes a full super experienced tech team on Robyn’s end to ensure everyone’s success in creating the magic! You book the event, and our team makes you look like a rockstar.

* available for virtual & in-person events

7. Gregory Robinson – Keynote Speaker on Leadership, TIME100 Pioneer 2022, 33-Year Veteran of NASA, Former Director, James Webb Space Telescope, Columbia University Faculty

Topic: MANAGING GLOBAL TEAMS IN TURBULENT TIMES

When Greg Robinson took over the leadership of the James Webb Space Telescope, it was years behind schedule, billions over budget, tarnished by engineering failures and waning stakeholder confidence. The trouble didn’t end there. COVID, hurricanes, and other obstacles soon stood in the way of success. Still, Robinson managed to bring together 20,000 people in 29 countries and 14 U.S. states to not only turn the program around, but nearly double its efficiency. In this inspiring talk, highlighted by breathtaking images from Webb, Robinson shares how trust, communication and effective leadership can bring teams together from across the globe to overcome obstacles and achieve your organization’s moonshot.

8. Chaunte Lowe – Top Keynote Speaker on Leadership and Resilience, Medalist, 4-Time Olympian & Breast Cancer Survivor

Topic: CHAMPION MINDSET: OVERCOMING ADVERSITY AND TENACITY DURING CHALLENGING TIMES

Have you wondered just how much adversity you or your team can handle? As a young girl, Chaunté Lowe had a dream of becoming an Olympian. After years of hard work and determination, her dream finally came true, but she was met with challenge after challenge in her quest for a medal. In 2019, Chaunté received the devastating diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer—which is among the most aggressive forms. She decided to bring awareness to the importance of early detection and empower others by training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games—while undergoing treatment. In her powerful and inspirational story of determination, perseverance, and strength, Chaunté openly shares the valuable lessons she learned as she beat impossible odds.

9. James Lawrence – Top Booked, Award Winning Keynote Speaker on Leadership, The Iron Cowboy, Guinness World Record Holder, Author, Subject of 50.50.50 Documentary, Eco-Challenge Team Leader, Mental Toughness and Peak Performance Speaker, Champion of the Conquer 100

Topic: REDEFINE IMPOSSIBLE

When James Lawrence (aka the Iron Cowboy) announced his plan to complete 50 Ironmans in 50 consecutive days in all 50 states, the only person who believed that he could pull it off was James himself (and his wife, Sunny). An Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. In Lawrence’s case, he would have to complete those distances and then make it to the next state in time to do it all over again the next day. Even Lawrence’s coach didn’t think he could complete the challenge; enough that he penciled in another event the day Lawrence was supposed to complete the 50. But with the support of Sunny, their five children in tow, and with grassroots support always conjured at the last minute via Facebook, he accomplished what he set out to do. Iron Cowboy is the story of Lawrence’s herculean 50-day journey and all the extraordinary, miserable, and life-threatening events that happened along the way, as well as a glance at his life leading up to the mission and winning two prior world records.

Key take-ways from Redefine Impossible:

• Going all in
• Breaking through mental and physical barriers.
• Be uniquely you.
• Belief and conviction on your journey.
• Mind over matter.
• Teamwork > One man’s feat
• Get your priorities straight.
• What’s your why? No goal too big – you just need the right steps.

10. Cassandra Worthy – Top Speaker on Leadership, Change and Transformation, Creator and World’s Leading Expert of Change Enthusiasm®, Founder & CEO of Change Enthusiasm® Global, Bestselling Author

Topic: EXPLORING THE UNDERBELLY OF EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP: THE SOFTER SKILLS REQUIRED TO EFFECTIVELY LEAD THROUGH CHANGE

Rapid change is impacting nearly every industry vertical, re- shaping, re-forming, and ultimately disrupting ‘business as usual’. With this comes workforce strain, stress, and frustration. Today more than ever industry needs people who fully understand, embrace, and exemplify the softer skills of leadership. With energy that could light up an entire city grid, Cassandra Worthy captivates audiences with her stories and unique perspective on what it really means to effectively lead THROUGH change. 

Attending leaders and top talent leave with:

• New perspective on the soft skills required to effectively lead through change
• A heightened self-awareness of their current leadership effectiveness and the guidance to take the right next step to improve
• Invigoration to more effectively lead through ANY change challenge faced

Ready to book a keynote speaker on leadership? BigSpeak Speakers bureau is your one-stop-shop. Please email info@bigspeak.com to inquire about booking.