TSG Speakers Bureau Reference Guide: Leadership Speakers

Marcus Buckingham says the chief responsibility of a leader "is to rally people for a better future." Buckingham also says successful leaders must find a "universal truth" to rally their followers. If you desire to see your organization reach new heights, your leadership much reach new heights, and the insights of today's top leadership authors and speakers can help. This installment of The Speakers Group speakers bureau's reference guide will help meeting planners select the best leadership speakers for their program objectives.

Are leadership speakers the same as management speakers?

Management and leadership, while often spoken of interchangeably, are not the same. Marcus Buckingham finds that good managers are united by a talent for being able to find and capitalize upon their employees' unique traits. "The guiding principle is, 'How can I take this person's talent and turn it into performance?'" he says.

Buckingham states that the chief responsibility of a leader "is to rally people for a better future." All strong leaders are optimistic at their core and have "a deep-seated belief that [they] should be at the helm, dragging everyone into that better future," he continues.

Following this line of reasoning, leadership speakers share proven practices for casting a vision across and organization, and gaining the respect and confidence of their team to pursue and fulfill that vision. Management speakers, on the other hand, are not as focused on the broad vision as they are on how managers can bring the best out of individual employees.

How do I select the best leadership speaker for my organization?

The first step, based on the information above, is to determine that you are indeed seeking a leadership speaker and not a management speaker. It is important to know your meeting objectives in order to then select a speaker who can help in accomplishing those objectives.

Given that leadership will ultimately define the personality of an organization, anytime you bring in an outside voice on leadership, it is critical that the leadership speaker be consistent with your organization's mission and beliefs. The speaker may introduce new ideas or practices to challenge your leaders in route to greater success, but the core values of the speaker's message must complement or strengthen those of your organization -- unless you have determined that the organization is in need of a shift in beliefs, in which case it is important that your selected leadership speaker moves the organization in that direction.

Another consideration in selecting a leadership speaker -- as with any speaker -- is to evaluate a speaker's style and substance and determine if he or she will be well received by your audience. Every audience has a personality the same as an individual, and every personality has different tastes. There are many leadership speakers universally considered to be among the best, but some will be a better match for your group than others.

Who are some of the most popular leadership speakers?

Among the most popular leadership speakers today are best-selling authors and authorities including Marcus Buckingham, Bob Danzig, Howard Putnam, Afterburner, Ken Blanchard and Byrd Baggett. The Speakers Group represents these any many more oustanding leadership speakers. For more information, view The Speakers Group's online directory of leadership speakers or contact us at 615-545-9215 for a free consultation.