30 Most Influential Leaders

Recognized for contributions to productivity, employee engagement

Thirty individuals have been identified as the top leaders who influenced business in 2014, according to a poll conducted by American Management Association (AMA). Heading the list of management thought leaders are authors John Maxwell, Malcolm Gladwell, and Daniel Pink. American Management Association (AMA) is a world leader in talent development.

Following are the top 30 leaders who most influenced business in 2014, according to AMA:

1. John C. Maxwell: Author, John Maxwell Company
2. Malcolm Gladwell: Author of bestsellers The Tipping Point and David and Goliath
3. Daniel Pink: Author of bestsellers Free Agent Nation, Drive, and A Whole New Mind
4. Seth Godin: Author of bestsellers Linchpin, Tribes, and Purple Cow
5. Sheryl Sandberg: Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Author of Lean In
6. Daniel Goleman: Author of bestsellers Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership
7. Marcus Buckingham Author, Founder of The Marcus Buckingham Company
8. Ken Blanchard: Author, Founder and Chief Spiritual Officer of the Ken Blanchard Companies
9. David Allen: Author of bestsellers Getting Things Done and Ready for Anything
10. Bob Sutton: Professor, Stanford University, and Author of bestseller Good Boss, Bad Boss
11. Colin Powell: Former United States Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
12. Gary Vaynerchuk: Cofounder and CEO, VaynerMedia and Wine Library TV
13. Jack Welch: Founder, Jack Welch Management Institute, former CEO of General Electric
14. Michael Hyatt: Author of bestseller Intentional Leadership
15. Richard Branson: Founder, Virgin Group, owner group of Virgin Mobile and Virgin Atlantic
16. Simon Sinek: Author, creator of “golden circle” and “start with why” business concepts
17. Tony Hsieh: CEO of Zappos.com
18. Adam Grant: Author, Professor, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
19. Elon Musk: CEO, Cofounder, Tesla Motors and SpaceX
20. Carol Dweck: Professor, Stanford University, developer of implicit theories of intelligence

To view the next 10 winners from the group of 30 and to find out more information on their contributions to business thought leadership click here.

“These thought leaders, whether from industry, government or academia, have made significant contributions to individual and organizational productivity as well as employee engagement,” says Jeremey Donovan, chief marketing officer for AMA. “It is inspiring to see a new generation of thinkers standing alongside the giants of talent transformation.”