Joe Weinman
Founder, XFORMA | Bestselling Author, Cloudonomics & Digital Disciplines | 27-Patent Holder | Cloud Computing & Digital Transformation Strategist
Marcus Buckingham
Global Authority on Strengths & Performance | Head of People + Performance Research, ADP | Author of Design Love In & Love + Work
Marcus Buckingham is the world's leading researcher on human strengths and performance at work, with more than 30 years of data-driven study behind his ideas. Author of two of the best-selling business books of all time and, most recently, Design Love In, he gives senior audiences the evidence-based frameworks to build teams where people genuinely thrive and perform at their best.
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Marcus Buckingham biography
Marcus Buckingham is the world’s foremost researcher on strengths, love, and performance at work, a distinction earned across more than three decades of large-scale empirical study and books that have collectively sold over five million copies. A Cambridge-educated social scientist, he spent nearly two decades as a Senior Researcher at the Gallup Organization, where he co-created the StrengthsFinder assessment now completed by more than 30 million people worldwide, and co-authored First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths, two of the best-selling business books ever published. Few voices command the authority that keynote speaker Marcus Buckingham brings to the science of human performance.
Management speaker Marcus Buckingham is Head of People + Performance Research at the ADP Research Institute, where he leads some of the most ambitious workforce studies in the world. His annual People at Work report surveys tens of thousands of employees across more than 30 countries, producing data-driven insight into engagement, team dynamics, and the real drivers of performance. In 2022 he founded the Buckingham Institute, a research center advancing the science of outstanding human performance.
His work has consistently challenged the orthodoxies of management. Ideas now embedded in leadership practice worldwide, “people leave managers, not companies,” “focus on strengths and manage around weaknesses,” and “love is the most powerful force in business,” all originated in Buckingham’s books and Harvard Business Review articles, three of which rank among HBR’s most circulated cover stories of all time. His book Nine Lies About Work (with Ashley Goodall) dismantled the assumptions most organizations treat as truisms, and his Wall Street Journal bestseller Love + Work introduced a methodology for redesigning work around the activities that energize each person. His most recent book, Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business (Harvard Business Review Press), draws on 25 years of his own data to show how loving experiences drive measurable behaviors and business outcomes.
The Science Behind the Message
What distinguishes Buckingham from most thought leaders is the rigor behind the ideas. His conclusions are built on longitudinal research, psychometric tool design, and multi-country workforce surveys, not anecdote or consulting intuition. He studied psychometrics under the late Dr. Don Clifton, one of the founders of positive psychology, and has spent his career developing validated instruments to measure what actually predicts human performance. His StandOut assessment, used by more than two million people, and the design methodology behind his latest work represent the applied edge of a body of research that is as scientifically grounded as it is practically useful.
As a speaker, Marcus Buckingham is one of the most sought-after voices on leadership and performance in the world, addressing hundreds of thousands of people each year. Organizations including Microsoft, Disney, lululemon, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Wells Fargo, and Meta book him not for inspiration alone, but for the evidence-backed frameworks he delivers. Audiences leave with a precise, research-grounded understanding of how to identify their strengths, lead teams more effectively, and build cultures where people do their best work, not because they are told to, but because the conditions are designed for it.
Marcus Buckingham Speaking Videos
Marcus Buckingham - Competitive Advantage
Marcus Buckingham - Nine Lies About Work
Marcus Buckingham Keynote Topics
Decades of research across tens of thousands of teams in more than 30 countries reveal a consistent pattern: what separates high-performing teams is not strategy, structure, or even raw talent, but the degree to which each person spends time doing work that feels like love. Buckingham unpacks the data, challenges the assumptions organizations make about performance, and hands leaders a concrete framework for redesigning how their teams work. Practical, evidence-based, and immediately applicable.
Much of what organizations believe about engagement, feedback, leadership development, and culture is not just wrong, it is actively counterproductive. Drawing on his landmark book with Ashley Goodall, Buckingham walks through the most persistent myths in organizational life, the data that debunks each one, and the handful of truths that should replace them. A reset for any leader who suspects that standard management practice is not producing the results it should.
The strongest predictor of performance, creativity, and retention is not compensation or title, but whether people spend meaningful time doing work that genuinely engages them. Drawing on his most recent book and 25 years of his own data, Buckingham shows that love at work is not a soft sentiment but a measurable driver of behavior and business outcomes. He gives leaders a practical system for identifying each person's strongest contributions and building roles and cultures around them, a standout session for HR leaders and executives focused on talent and team effectiveness.
One of the most-read Harvard Business Review articles of the past decade, The Feedback Fallacy, challenged the premise that humans can reliably evaluate one another and that corrective feedback improves performance. This keynote expands on those findings, presenting the neuroscience and psychology behind why feedback as commonly practiced often backfires, and what research-backed alternatives genuinely accelerate growth. A provocative, evidence-rich session that will change how your leaders think about coaching, development, and recognition.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Marcus Buckingham
Why Marcus Buckingham?
Booking Marcus Buckingham means bringing the world's most rigorous researcher on human strengths and leadership directly to your audience. Unlike motivational speakers who rely on personal narrative alone, Buckingham delivers data-backed frameworks drawn from decades of large-scale workplace research, tools that executives, HR leaders, and team managers can apply immediately. His ability to make complex behavioral science feel intuitive and actionable is unmatched on the speaking circuit. Whether your event focuses on leadership development, employee engagement, the future of work, or organizational culture, Buckingham delivers a keynote that resonates at every level of your organization. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to book Marcus Buckingham for your next event.
What is Marcus Buckingham's book Design Love In about?
Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business (Harvard Business Review Press) is Buckingham's most recent book. Drawing on 25 years of his own research and the story of what made his company thrive, it argues that love, the deep connection that makes people feel seen, valued, and inspired, is not a soft feeling but a measurable driver of performance and growth. Rather than urging leaders to be warmer, the book shows how to design specific loving experiences into the way work happens, and how those experiences translate into concrete behaviors and business outcomes.
What is Marcus Buckingham's most famous idea?
Buckingham is best known for the strengths-based approach to management, the argument that organizations should identify and amplify what each person naturally does best, rather than spending resources trying to correct weaknesses. This idea, developed during his time at the Gallup Organization and formalized in Now, Discover Your Strengths (with Donald Clifton), has since reshaped talent strategy at companies worldwide. His complementary proposition, that people leave managers, not companies, has become one of the most repeated and tested ideas in HR and organizational psychology.
What topics does leadership speaker Marcus Buckingham cover?
Represented by Aurum Speakers Bureau, Marcus Buckingham speaks on themes grounded in his decades of research: strengths-based leadership and team performance, the science of employee engagement, building high-performance cultures, the future of work and what today's workforce data reveals, rethinking feedback and performance management, and love, genuine engagement with one's work, as a measurable driver of business outcomes. His keynotes are especially well-suited to leadership summits, HR and talent conferences, executive offsites, and organizational transformation events. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring Marcus Buckingham to your stage.
How to book Marcus Buckingham as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Marcus Buckingham as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Marcus Buckingham's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Marcus Buckingham or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Marcus Buckingham speaking fee?
Marcus Buckingham speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Marcus Buckingham to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Marcus Buckingham.
How can I contact Marcus Buckingham?
We only work with Marcus Buckingham on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Marcus Buckingham and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Marcus Buckingham speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Marcus Buckingham for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Marcus Buckingham for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Marcus Buckingham is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Marcus Buckingham for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
