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11 Highest Rated Leadership Speakers

More and more clients are asking us for Speakers who can show their Leaders how to engage, inspire, encourage, and develop their employees and teams. Here are our highest rated Speakers on the new World of Leadership.

Updated March 2024

Dr. Rebecca Heiss | Inspiring Keynote Speaker on Fearless Leadership & Accountability

Rebecca knows fear. As an evolutionary biologist and stress expert, Dr. Rebecca Heiss is dedicated to helping us become self-aware and overcome our instinctual limitations – the ancient, often subconscious fears that hold us back from our optimal performance and our happiest lives. Her research has been designated “transformative” by the National Science Foundation and it is waking up audiences around the world.

As an author of the newly acclaimed book Instinct, founder and CEO of the leadership 360- review mobile application, icueity, and highly sought-after professional speaker, Rebecca has found her calling in helping others recognize the power of biological applications in their lives. A former educator, Dr. Heiss spent much of her earlier career in the classroom at both the high school and college levels and was recruited to be a founding member of an innovative charter school with a focus on entrepreneurial thinking and impact-based learning.

More about Rebecca: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/dr-rebecca-heiss/

Suneel Gupta | Expert, Connecting Well-Being and Performance; Healthcare Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author

As the founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company, Suneel Gupta helped thousands of people build better habits for life and work. Now as a bestselling author and Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, Suneel has taken his mission one step further – helping people reset, reignite, and find meaning in their work by bolstering emotional resilience and engagement. Suneel asks, “How can an organization excel on the outside if its people are exhausted on the inside?” Grit and hustle are simply not a long-term answer to dealing with non-stop change and stress. Suneel offers leaders and teams a better way to work; one that results in sustainable innovation, productivity, and fulfillment. He arms people with science-based habits that will avoid burnout, boost energy, and improve their professional and personal lives.

Suneel is a business survivor and the author of the international bestselling book Backable (2020). That book is rooted in his inner journey from twice-failed entrepreneur to becoming a leader behind two IPOs and being named “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. The book reveals the mindset shifts and hidden habits of people who are extraordinary at pushing new ideas forward.

More about Suneel: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/suneel-gupta/

Erica Dhawan | Leading Authority on Collaboration and Innovation

Erica Dhawan is the world’s leading authority on 21st-century Collaboration and Connectional Intelligence.

She challenges audiences and organizations to innovate faster and further, together. Her newest book – Digital Body Language – decodes the new signals and cues of effective collaboration and teamwork in a digital-first human workplace.

She is the also the co-author of the bestselling book Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence, named #1 on What Corporate America is Reading. Dhawan was named by Thinkers50 as “The Oprah of Management Ideas” and featured as one of the Top 20 Management Experts around the world by GlobalGurus. She hosts the award-winning podcast ‘Masters of Leadership.’ Erica speaks on global stages ranging from the World Economic Forum at Davos to TED and for companies such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, SAP, and Cisco. Erica writes for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. She has degrees from Harvard University, MIT Sloan, and The Wharton School.

More about Erica: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/erica-dhawan/

Jason O. Harris | U.S. Air Force Officer Special Operations Pilot, U.S.A.F. Academy Instructor, Motivating Speaker on Leadership, Teamwork, DEI & Culture

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Harris is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, best-selling author, expert thought leader, and professional pilot. As a fourth-generation military member, Jason’s distinguished career in the US Air Force has spanned more than two decades. He has served (continuously) on active duty and currently as Squadron Commander in the Air Force Reserve Command. Since graduating from the United States Air Force Academy, he has flown multiple aircraft over the course of his career including 11 deployments with more than 2,000 combat hours and 470 combat sorties around the globe.

These high-risk combat experiences have all served as the launching point for his proprietary “No Fail Trust™” methodology. His proven methodology serves organizations and teams as a tool to empower executives and team members to foster an environment of mutual trust, responsibility, and productivity.

More about Jason: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/jason-o-harris/

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour | America’s First Black Female Combat Pilot, Former Marine & Cop, Author and Consultant to Business

Combat tests you. Being a beat cop tests you. Life tests you. Three brothers and being the only girl…tests you. Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour has been tested her whole life. A gutsy trailblazer, her resume is an impressive collection of “firsts” including America’s first Black female combat pilot. She served two tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine. She was also a diversity liaison officer to the Pentagon for Headquarters Marine Corps. After her military service, FlyGirl revved up her career in the private sector as an entrepreneur, consultant to business, and author of Zero to Breakthrough, The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter. As a speaker, FlyGirl unleashes hard-hitting advice and amazing anecdotes from her adventures on the battlefield and in business. She helps individuals and organizations Get Gutsy and build a sustainable inner force and conviction, that results in accomplishing significant goals.

As a Black gay woman and single mom, FlyGirl brings vital experience to her role as a member of the Forbes School of Business & Technology Board of Advisors and COMCAST/NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.

FlyGirl has two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards as a pioneering pilot, including honors for her commanding role in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

More about Vernice: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/vernice-armour/

Dane Jensen | Acclaimed speaker, media commentator, educator and author of The Power of Pressure

Dane Jensen is the CEO of third Factor, an acclaimed speaker, an instructor at Queen’s University and the University of North Carolina, a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and the author of The Power of Pressure (HarperCollins).

Dane oversees Third Factor’s delivery of leadership development programs to leading firms across North America, including RBC,  Asana, Microsoft, Starbucks, Pfizer and more. He teaches in the Full-Time and Executive MBAs at Queen’s Smith School of Business in Canada and is Affiliate Faculty with UNC Executive Development at the Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill.

In addition to his corporate work, Dane works extensively with athletes, coaches, leaders, and boards across Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic sport systems to enhance National competitiveness. He has worked as an advisor to Senior Executives in 23 countries on 5 continents and is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.

More about Dane: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/dane-jensen/

Liz Wiseman | Best-selling Author, Researcher and Speaker on How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, Increase Engagement & Drive Growth

Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the author of New York Times best-seller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone SmarterThe Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools, and Wall Street Journal best-seller Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work.

She is CEO of the Wiseman Group, a leadership research and development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. Some of her recent clients include: Apple, AT&T, Disney, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Salesforce, Tesla, and Twitter. Liz has been listed on the Thinkers50 ranking and named one of the top 10 leadership thinkers in the world.

She has conducted significant research in the field of leadership and collective intelligence and writes for Harvard Business ReviewFortune, and a variety of other business and leadership journals. A former executive at Oracle Corporation, she worked over the course of 17 years as the Vice President of Oracle University and as the global leader for Human Resource Development.

More about Liz: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/liz-wiseman/

Adrian Gostick |  Author & Speaker on Leadership, Anxiety in the Workplace and Employee Engagement

#1 New York Times bestselling author Adrian Gostick provides advice to some of the world’s most successful organizations on building culture, managing change, and leading high performance teams.

Gostick is a global thought leader in the fields of corporate culture, leadership, and engagement. He is founder of the work place training and consulting company The Culture Works and author of the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers All In, The Carrot Principle, Leading with Gratitude, and Anxiety at Work. His award-winning books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies around the world.

Gostick is a leadership strategy columnist for Forbes, and his work has been called “fascinating,” by Fortune magazine and “creative and refreshing” by the New York Times. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CNN, and CNBC, and is often quoted in The Economist, Financial Times, Newsweek, and Wall Street Journal. In 2022, Adrian was ranked as a top 10 Global Guru in Leadership and Organizational Culture.

More about Adrian: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/adrian-gostick/

Robyn Benincasa | Firefighter, CNN Hero and Motivational Adventure Racer

When the challenges are steep and the competition fierce, Robyn Benincasa provides the tools individuals and organizations need to cross their most challenging finish lines.

As a two-time World Champion Adventure racer, San Diego Firefighter, and CNN Hero, Robyn knows a thing or two about creating Human Synergy, or as she puts it, “That magic that allows ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things together.”

Through harrowing experiences in places like the jungles of Borneo and the Himalayan peaks, Robyn has studied the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty of Extreme Teamwork. Her refreshing and unique techniques build and foster impactful, inspired teams that succeed against all odds and turn setbacks into comebacks.

Robyn was named one of 2020s World’s Top 50 Keynote Speakers (Real Leaders Magazine), the #1 Female Speaker for Meetings.net, and is one of the Top 10 Speakers featured by Harvard Business Review. She has motivated countless leaders and teams for Fortune 500 companies, including IBM, Starbucks, Walmart, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, HubSpot, Intel, and more. Her game-changing keynotes inspire us to grab life with one hand, our teammates with the other and create that special magic that makes each of us stronger together than we could ever be alone.

More about Robyn: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/robyn-benincasa/

Patrick Lencioni |  Management Consultant and Speaker on Organizational Health

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to providing organizations with ideas, products and services that improve teamwork, clarity and employee engagement.

Lencioni’s passion for organizations and teams is reflected in his writing, speaking and executive consulting. He is the author of eleven best-selling books with over five million copies sold. His capstone book, The Advantage, is the pre-eminent source on organizational health. After sixteen years in print, his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, remains a weekly fixture on national best-seller lists. Released in 2016, The Ideal Team Player is a much-anticipated follow-up to his team book and also a Wall Street Journal best-seller. In his latest book The Motive Lencioni shifts his attention toward helping Leaders understand the importance of why they’re leading in the first place. In doing so, he helps leaders avoid the pitfalls that stifle their organizations and even hurt the people they are meant to serve.

The wide-spread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base of speaking and consulting clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, schools and churches.

More about Patrick: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/Patrick-Lencioni

Eric Boles | President of Game Changers Inc., Speaker on Leadership and Peak Performance

Eric Boles is the president of The Game Changers Inc., a training and development company dedicated to maximizing the human asset. Through assessment, consulting, coaching and corporate training, The Game Changers Inc. has set the standard for helping organizations enhance their culture and develop greater levels of commitment and performance.

Eric Boles is also a highly acclaimed keynote speaker and consultant for some of the most recognized and respected organizations in the world. His insights on Leadership, Peak Performance, Team Dynamics, and Managing Change has been shared with clients such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nationwide Insurance, AVIVA Insurance, Alaska Airlines, State Farm Insurance, Starbucks Coffee, USAA, MetLife, and Novo Nordisk . Eric also speaks to a variety of organizations and associations, including those in sales, education, government, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.

Prior to becoming an authority on high performance, Eric learned many principles of team dynamics and leadership from his experience playing in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers. While in the NFL, he had the privilege of being coached and mentored by some of the finest coaches and players in the game.

More about Eric: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/eric-boles/

Terence Mauri | Innovation & Disruptive Leadership Speaker

Leaders from Alibaba, HSBC and Facebook choose Terence to ignite Mindset 2.0 – a disruption mindset to break the rules and reimagine your business today.

Terence Mauri is the Founder of global think tank Hack Future Lab and is a Partner with MIT Solve, an initiative to address world challenges. He brings decades of experience and knowledge sharing cutting edge principles on the future of leadership beyond disruption. He is a Bestselling Author and his new book The 3D Leader: Take Your Leadership to the Next Dimension is an actionable and robust guide for ALL people to realize that a new dimension in personal leadership is at the core of creating opportunity. The 3D Leader is for  every person who wants to learn three winning mindsets – THINK BOLD, CHOOSE BRAVE, GO BEYOND – that will equip you with a practical set of actions for you to completely reimagine how you lead. 

Terence’s Inc. column Future Proof  has over 1M views per month, and his thinking on how to find your next cutting edge has been published in The EconomistForbesReutersHuff

Post and Wired and he has delivered keynotes around the world for clients including Visa, Facebook, VMware, Capital One and HSBC, as well as fast-growing start-ups. Terence holds Entrepreneur Mentor in Residence roles at MIT and London Business School and has over 20 years experience of helping leaders bounce back from adversity and move beyond disruption. He has also been ranked by Thinkers50 as one of the top 30 management thinkers in the world. 

More about Terence: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/terence-mauri/

To Learn more about these speakers contact [email protected]

Derek Sweeney is the Director of Speaker Ideas at The Sweeney Agency. www.thesweeneyagency.com. For 15 years Derek has been helping clients find the right Speakers for their events. Derek can be reached at 1-866-727-7555 or [email protected]