Which leaders inspire you? Every two years Thinkers50 asks this question of the hundreds of thinkers in its community of world-leading management thinkers. The result is the Leaders50, a unique and compelling listing of 50 inspiring leaders drawn from around the world.
Leaders50 provides a bridge between thinkers and practitioners. All the leaders featured in Leaders50 are currently active leaders in organisations. These organisations are significant in scope and/or impact. They may be for profit or not-for-profit, but must be independently financially viable.
Leaders50 aims to ignite a global conversation about what twenty-first century leadership can and should be. It celebrates and enables better understanding of the inspiring leadership practice and philosophies of leaders who are making a positive impact in the world. Through this Leaders50 contributes to the development of the next generation of leaders worldwide and to the impact of great leadership.
Leaders50 is based on clear criteria which assess leadership achievement. The criteria has been developed in partnership with some of the world’s leading thinkers.
We define leadership as inspiring purposeful action that achieves remarkable outcomes.
The foundation elements of the Leaders50 are the leader’s contribution:
The second level of analysis is concerned with character:
The final element looks to the future and the ability of the leader to build a lasting legacy:
The criteria are shared with members of the global Thinkers50 Community of thought-leaders. They are then invited to nominate the thinkers who inspire their own thinking and work. This provides a powerful connection from thinking to practice and vice versa. Nominations are then researched and vetted against the criteria above by the Thinkers50 team alongside Community members.
Which leaders inspire you? Every two years Thinkers50 asks this question of the hundreds of thinkers in its community of world-leading management thinkers. The result is the Leaders50, a unique and compelling listing of 50 inspiring leaders drawn from around the world.
Leaders50 provides a bridge between thinkers and practitioners. All the leaders featured in Leaders50 are currently active leaders in organisations. These organisations are significant in scope and/or impact. They may be for profit or not-for-profit, but must be independently financially viable.
Leaders50 aims to ignite a global conversation about what twenty-first century leadership can and should be. It celebrates and enables better understanding of the inspiring leadership practice and philosophies of leaders who are making a positive impact in the world. Through this Leaders50 contributes to the development of the next generation of leaders worldwide and to the impact of great leadership.
Leaders50 is based on clear criteria which assess leadership achievement. The criteria has been developed in partnership with some of the world’s leading thinkers.
We define leadership as inspiring purposeful action that achieves remarkable outcomes.
The foundation elements of the Leaders50 are the leader’s contribution:
The second level of analysis is concerned with character:
The final element looks to the future and the ability of the leader to build a lasting legacy. In particular, we ask:
The criteria are shared with members of the global Thinkers50 Community of thought-leaders. They are then invited to nominate the thinkers who inspire their own thinking and work. This provides a powerful connection from thinking to practice and vice versa. Nominations are then researched and vetted against the criteria above by the Thinkers50 team alongside Community members.
The Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) is a premier academic centre at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. COLE’s Mission is to empower leaders of consequence to change the world through knowledge and connections, focusing on talent and knowledge development in the context of leadership ethics.
Based in Madrid, Executive Excellence (Ex2) is a management knowledge platform that amplifies the work of the world’s leading management thinkers. Through its partnership with Thinkers50, Ex2 seeks to accelerate and disseminate the latest thought leadership and management ideas to where they can have the most impact, helping business practitioners and organisational leaders to retain their competitive advantage.
The Global Institute of Leadership and Technology (GILT) offers experience-based educational programs in the fields of technology and leadership. These include accredited degrees, executive education programs, and tailored programs for organisations, senior executives, and young professionals. Founded in 2019 by Anders Inset and Robin Weninger, GILT is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) serves as the Indian hub within the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitive at Harvard Business School (HBS). IFC is dedicated to expanding and disseminating the body of research and knowledge and strategy as pioneered by Michael Porter of HBS. It conducts and supports indigenous research, offers academic and executive courses, and provides advisory services to the government and corporate sectors.
Founded by renowned Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei, best-selling author Anne Morriss, and technology executive Cara Shortsleeve, The Leadership Consortium (TLC) helps best-in-class organisations create the conditions for more and varied leaders to thrive. Since 2018 TLC has been delivering custom advisory work, executive coaching, and an innovative leadership accelerator program called the TLC Leaders Program.
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Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of successful teaming.
Edmondson’s work on psychological safety has been groundbreaking. Her blueprint on creating a fear-free culture is essential, she argues, for organizations to be able to thrive in today’s knowledge economy in which new ideas and critical thought are essential to success. She has also explored the concept of teaming in dynamic work environments, and demonstrated how cross-organizational teaming can impact the building of smart cities.
Grant studies how we can find motivation and meaning and lead more generous and creative lives. He has identified three groups of people …
Proving that organizational and personal success need not be at the expense of the world…
Best-selling author and quantitative futurist researching emerging technology, business and society…
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of …
Leading expert on choice, studying the factors that influence the choices we make and how choice and meaning are intertwined…
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
Osterwalder and Pigneur created the Business Model Canvas, an innovative strategy management …
Leading adviser on innovation and champion of “dual transformation” strategy, helping businesses to turn disruption into advantage.
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Top influencer in customer experience, digital transformation, business model innovation, and the future of work…
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International authority in people analytics, talent management, leadership development, and the Human-AI interface.
One of China’s premier thinkers on innovation and pioneer of holistic innovation…
Self-reinvention and branding expert, showing others how to take control of their professional lives and make an impact on the world…
Award-winning psychologist who applies her knowledge of emotions, human motivation, and change to individuals and organizations…
Connecting the dots for leaders as they seek to break team silos, drive exponential growth and innovate through teamwork…
Leadership isn’t about you, it is about the people you work with…
Neuroscience-based talent strategist – teaching us the science of human performance, motivation, and decision-making…
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space…
Ecosystem specialist and Mandarin-speaking authority on innovation in China…
Catalytic questioner and global innovator, exploring how asking the right questions builds leadership and innovation, and drives purposeful change…
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration…
Champion of business ecosystems and digital platforms, collaboration and partnership; specialist on corporate turnarounds and organizational transformation…
Expert on the powers of disruption, and the ways to grasp the opportunities of change, starting with the personal.
Helping leaders put purpose to work and unleash human magic.
International branding expert, who has led deep research into the minds of buyers, applying insights from neuroscience to develop the concept of “buyology”…
Martin’s influence on business strategy and thinking has been immense. He championed the idea of integrative thinking, arguing that …
Prominent thought leader and strategist on the future of work in the social era, advocating for people in a technology-driven workspace…
Specialist on cross-cultural management, her evaluation of different cultures has resulted in a strategic framework for organizations seeking international success…
Making business sense of human behaviour and the decisions we make…
Founder of Shared Sisterhood™, Tina explores the connections between diversity, inclusion, and equity …
Expert on leadership and learning in the workplace, notably leadership in the age of “nomadic professionalism”, and broadening and strengthening…
How we can expand our awareness and tap into abundant inner resources — love, ingenuity, wisdom — to direct human evolution towards a healthier…
Explorer of the theory, practice and importance of speaking truth to power…
Making workplaces fairer…
The world’s leading champion of project management; creator of concepts including the Project Economy and the Hierarchy of Purpose.
Educator and executive coach, passionate about helping champions grow, adapt, and give back so they can keep on winning…
Leadership visionary with the intent to change how business leaders think, act, and operate, to create environments in which people work at their natural best…
A leading voice on the case for good jobs, Zeynep explores how companies can satisfy their customers, employees, and investors simultaneously.
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence…
A future-ready strategist, Howard specialises in technological innovation, strategic transformation, and change management.
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited has updated its Privacy Policy on 28 March 2024 with several amendments and additions to the previous version, to fully incorporate to the text information required by current applicable date protection regulation. Processing of the personal data of Thinkers50’s customers, potential customers and other stakeholders has not been changed essentially, but the texts have been clarified and amended to give more detailed information of the processing activities.
