# Adrian Gostick

> New York Times #1 bestselling author, leadership researcher and keynote speaker.
> Adrian Gostick helps organizations turn culture into a measurable driver of
> performance. More than two decades of research on how leadership behaviour shapes
> culture, and how culture drives execution, accountability and results.
> 1.5M+ books sold worldwide. Forbes leadership columnist. Thinkers50 Global
> Leadership Thinker, named to the Thinkers50 Coaches50 list for 2026.

## Who he is

Adrian Gostick is a leadership researcher and keynote speaker. His work addresses one
question: why do some organizations execute consistently while others struggle to align,
follow through and scale? His answer is not strategy alone — it is how leaders create
clarity, reinforce expectations and build trust.

He writes the leadership column at Forbes and has been featured by NBC, CNN,
The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. He also writes historical fiction.

## Books

Co-authored with Chester Elton unless noted:

- The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People,
  Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance
- All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results
- The Best Team Wins: The New Science of High Performance
- Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results
- Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty,
  and Get Stuff Done (with Anthony Gostick)
- The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization
- The Daily Carrot Principle: 365 Ways to Enhance Your Career and Life
- A Carrot A Day: A Daily Dose of Recognition for Your Employees
- The Invisible Employee: Using Carrots to See the Hidden Potential in Everyone
- The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up (with Scott Christopher)

## Fiction

Adrian also writes historical fiction, under his own name. Jack Slade is the
protagonist — not a pen name and not a co-author.

- Jack Slade: Song of the Butcherbird (ISBN 9781648211539). First in the series.

## Keynote topics

- [High-Performing Culture](https://adriangostick.com/culture-engagement-keynote-speaker/):
  Building cultures rooted in accountability, engagement, recognition and trust so people
  perform at their best.
- [Teamwork and High-Performing Teams](https://adriangostick.com/high-performing-teams-keynote-speaker/):
  Helping leaders break down silos and improve execution. Based on the research behind
  The Best Team Wins.
- [Leadership and Gratitude](https://adriangostick.com/leadership-gratitude-keynote-speaker/):
  Leading with trust, recognition and accountability.
- [All keynotes](https://adriangostick.com/keynotes/): Overview of speaking topics,
  formats and audiences.

## Working with Adrian

- [Executive coaching](https://adriangostick.com/coaching/): Adrian works with senior
  leaders to strengthen the coaching behaviours that build trust, accountability and
  cross-functional execution.
- [For meeting planners](https://adriangostick.com/meeting-planners/): Keynote overview
  PDFs, speaker packet, media kit and booking logistics.
- [Book Adrian](https://adriangostick.com/contact/): Enquiries and availability.
- [Questions leaders ask](https://adriangostick.com/faq/): Detailed answers on formats,
  customisation, virtual delivery and what to expect.

## Writing and media

- [Adrian in Forbes](https://adriangostick.com/adrian-in-forbes/): His Forbes leadership
  column, covering leadership alignment, execution discipline and the coaching behaviours
  that sustain performance in complex organizations.
- [Culture & Leadership with Adrian Gostick](https://adriangostick.substack.com/):
  His Substack — leadership, culture and storytelling, including a "Ride with Jack Slade"
  section on the fiction.
- [Media](https://adriangostick.com/media/): Interviews and features, including NBC, CNN,
  Forbes and CNBC.
- [About](https://adriangostick.com/about/): Background and research focus.

## Related

- [Chester Elton](https://chesterelton.com/): Long-time co-author and research partner.
- [The Culture Works](https://thecultureworks.com/): The firm Adrian and Chester founded.

## Sitemap

- [XML sitemap](https://adriangostick.com/sitemap_index.xml)