Gautam Mukunda: Innovative Leadership

  • Authority on Leadership; Lecturer in the Practice of Management, Yale School of Management;
  • Author, “Indispensable” and “Picking Presidents” (2022)

Travel & Fee Range:**

  • Travels from: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • **Fee range: $20,001 - $35,000

Keynote Topics

Companies that cannot innovate cannot succeed, and helping their companies to innovate is one of leaders’ most important, and least understood, responsibilities.

Through a series of studies of figures in politics, business, and science, Gautam Mukunda’s research shows what separates the extraordinary leaders who produce company and industry-changing innovations from ordinary ones, how some organizations are able to choose highly innovative leaders in surprising ways, and how different types of innovative challenges are likely to require very different types of leaders.

Changing an organization is leaders’  quintessential, and most challenging, task. Change efforts, however, are highly likely to fail, and too often leaders are far too resistant to changing the systems that brought them to power. 

In this presentation, Gautam Mukunda explains which leaders are likely to attempt to make substantial changes to the organizations they lead, when they are likely to succeed and fail, and how organizations can pick the leaders most likely to dramatically improve their performance.

The importance of leadership and the impact of individual leaders has long been the subject of debate. Are they made by history, or do they make it?

Gautam Mukunda offers a fresh look at how and when individual leaders can really make a difference.

Drawing from his book, “Indispensable” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), he profiles a mix of historic and modern figures, and through the stories of how they came to power and made their most important decisions, he reveals how, when and where a single individual in the right place at the right time can save or destroy the organization they lead – or even change the course of history.

Mukunda also helps you understand how you can use this model in your life – whether as a citizen casting a ballot, an executive choosing your next CEO or a leader trying to make your mark.

As Wall Street’s size and profit continues to swell, so does its pressure and influence on public companies.

The problem is power, says Gautam Mukunda. And Wall Street has amassed an enormous and disproportionate share of it, forcing corporate executives to make risky decisions in the best interest of shareholder returns, not business value.

Pointing to compelling examples – from Boeing to Sara Lee to Dell – he discusses why so many leaders continue to succumb to the financial sector’s demands.

Based on his Harvard Business Review  “Spotlight” article, he also offers ideas for reform that will rebalance the American economy, which he says is vital to the competitiveness and health of the country.

American business needs to get involved, Mukunda urges. And for that, leadership is critical.

Gautam Mukunda is an internationally recognized expert in leadership and innovation. He often jokes that his life’s ambition is to have the world’s most confusing resume and that he’s most of the way there. He is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. He is also the host of Nasdaq’s […]

Gautam Mukunda is an internationally recognized expert in leadership and innovation. He often jokes that his life’s ambition is to have the world’s most confusing resume and that he’s most of the way there.

He is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. He is also the host of Nasdaq’s podcast “World Reimagined” and a columnist at Nasdaq’s World Reimagined. Previously he was a professor at Harvard Business School and a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the Schwarzman Scholarship.

Gautam Mukunda is the author of two books: Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012) and Picking Presidents (University of California Press, forthcoming in 2022).

He has published articles in Harvard Business Review, Foreign Policy, Security Studies, Slate, Fast Company, Parameters, Politics and the Life Sciences, and Systems and Synthetic Biology on leadership, reforming the financial sector, military innovation, network-centric warfare, and the security and economic implications of synthetic biology.

His work has been profiled in the New York Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, Economist, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and on All Things Considered. He advises a variety of companies and organizations on leadership and strategy.

Gautam Mukunda was a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program and Program on Emerging Technologies.

He was a Paul & Daisy Soros New American Fellow, an NSF IGERT Fellow, a Next Generation Fellow of The American Assembly, and a Principal Investigator on the National Science Foundation’s Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center grant.

He served on The Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Advisory Panel and as a member of the New England Regional Selection Committee for the White House Fellowship and was a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on New Models of Leadership. He was also a Jeopardy Champion.

At MIT, Gautam was the National Science Foundation Synthetic Biology ERC Postdoctoral Fellow resident at MIT’s Center for International Studies. He received his PhD from MIT in political science focusing in International Relations and Security Studies and an AB in Government from Harvard, magna cum laude.

Before his academic career he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where Gautam Mukunda focused on the pharmaceutical sector.

Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Twitter

Gautam Mukunda | Political Leadership

Videos

Interest to Book? Send us your enquiry

Speaker Contact Form

Enquiry Form

In order to view the below you must be logged in.

  • Powerpoint Slide – For meeting and event planners
  • Gallery Images
  • High Resolution Images
  • PDF Files
  • Books and Magazine Links
  • Music List
  • Podcast Shows
  • Courses
  • + more

You may be interested in...

  • (64)
  • (5)
Dr. Willie Jolleyv

Dr. Willie Jolley is not just another motivational speaker; he is a beacon of inspiration, a maestro of transformation, and a living testament to the power of resilience and perseverance. With a career spanning decades, Dr. Jolley has solidified his position as a triple threat personality and a global thought leader. Renowned as a Hall […]

  • Travels from: Washington, DC
  • Motivational Speakers
  • (23)
  • (4)
Tom Kolditz-cover

Tom Kolditz is a distinguished leadership expert and keynote speaker renowned for his unparalleled insights into crisis leadership, resilience, and leading under pressure. With decades of experience in both military and academic spheres, Tom brings a unique, evidence-based perspective to the art and science of leadership. His dynamic presentations inspire individuals and organizations to thrive […]

  • Travels from:
  • Crisis Management
  • (17)
Chris Steely

As a top rated business facilitator, NCAA national rowing champion, U.S. Marine Corps Officer, corporate vice-president, business owner, MBA, world traveler, inspirational author, renowned global business coach, and devoted husband, Chris Steely has a vast array of life and leadership experience. As the Director of Coaching for the world’s top business coaching company, Chris has […]

  • Travels from: San Diego, CA
  • Leadership Speakers
  • (25)
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo is the authority on how to crush your inner critic so that you can live a life of purpose, fulfillment and True Success™. She’s America’s most trusted celebrity psychologist with over 100 national media interviews including The Today Show, Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, Fox Business News, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and […]

  • Travels from: Chicago, IL
  • Motivational Speakers
  • (22)
  • (5)
Brad Montgomery

Brad Montgomery is an award-winning motivational speaker, happiness expert, and humorist who has captivated audiences across the globe. With a unique blend of humor, practical wisdom, and heartwarming stories, Brad inspires people to embrace happiness as a powerful tool for success. His dynamic presentations have made him a sought-after keynote speaker for corporate events, conferences, […]

  • Travels from: Aurora, CO
  • Happiness Speakers
  • (24)

Edgar Perez is one the world’s few business and technology visionaries who can light up a room with insightful and inspiring presentations on the impact of cutting-edge technologies, from 5G to Quantum Computing and from Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity to Web3 and the Metaverse. A published author and energetic keynote speaker, he is also an […]

  • Travels from: New York, NY
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • (19)

Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.) defies stereotypes. Yes, she was a jet fighter pilot, but if you think you know her based on that, you’d be wrong. A leader, a combat veteran, the first woman pilot on the Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, a White House Fellow, and an inductee into both the National Women’s Hall […]

  • Travels from: Washington, DC
  • Leadership Speakers
  • (23)
Michael Veltri

Michael Veltri is a battle-tested warrior, both in the boardroom and in the competitive world of martial arts.  He is the founder and CEO of one of the largest martial arts academies on the east coast, serving a who’s who of Washington, DC’s elite. Over three decades, he has built, scaled, and sold his own companies and is […]

  • Travels from: Los Angeles, CA
  • Leadership Speakers
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various conference entertainers and other talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.

Fee ranges where listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only.

All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

Speakers Inc Logo 2024
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.