Fortune Magazine’s Top 50 Best Leaders

“In an era that feels starved for leadership, we’ve found men and women who will inspire you — some famous, others little known, all of them energizing their followers and making the world better.”

– Geoff Colvin, Senior Editor at Large Fortune Magazine April 2014

NSB Speaker Geoff Colvin wanted the recent Fortune Magazine’s  Top 50 Best Leaders list to avoid a narrow focus on the business world. Instead, this list included leaders of hierarchical organizations, along with those who act as sources of spiritual or inspirational guidance. The leaders include those who inspire others towards goals, rescue troubled institutions, compete to win, or cooperate and give towards a cause. The Fortune list is a who’s who of CEOs, heads of state, nonprofit leaders and sports luminaries. Here are a few who resonated with us at NSB: The top 10 included the Dalai Lama for the longevity of his commitment to nonviolence, democracy and reconciliation. He also received recognition for his Nobel Peace Prize.  The Dalai Lama was a great inspiration to our speaker Bruce Poon Tip and the building of his socially responsible company, G Adventures. The Dalai Lama wrote the forward to his book – the first time he has done so for any business book. Along with the Dalai Lama, we have been fortunate enough to hear Mary Robinson speak at the Kielburger’s We Day a few years ago.  A former Prime Minister and long-serving UN high commissioner for human rights, ‘she is vividly — and convincingly — showing the world how climate change is affecting the poorest of the poor.’ Want to learn more about why Howard Schultz made the list?  Our speaker Joseph Michelli knows – his book The Starbucks Experience shares how Schultz’s approach ensured that the core customer experience makes Starbucks great. Exclusively for our NSB clients, we’re happy to provide a complimentary ebook from Michelli on The Starbucks Experience e- Leadership Tips.   Geoff Colvin and his team at Fortune magazine curated this list of extraordinary leaders.  Colvin is a popular speaker on leadership – both at the C level and in personal leadership – across an organization. He has a knack for bringing clarity to the complex issues impacting business and the economy. His “On Leadership” series, which appears online on Money.CNN.com, provides a compelling look at what top leaders are doing to navigate uncertain times. His book on performance became a groundbreaking bestseller: Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers From Everybody Else.   For more information on Colvin, Bruce, the Kielburgers, Joseph or any of NSB‘s leadership speakers, visit our Speaker Scout search results.