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Chester Elton

Chester Elton

Keynote Speaker: #1 Bestselling Business Author, Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement & Teamwork Expert

Chester Elton Biography

Chester Elton is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Business Author, Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement and Leadership Expert.

One of today’s most influential voices in workplace trends, Elton has spent two decades helping clients engage their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. In his provocative, inspiring, and always entertaining talks, Elton provides real solutions to leaders looking to build culture, drive innovation, and enhance wellness. Elton’s work is supported by research with more than one million working adults, revealing the proven secrets behind high-performance cultures and teams.

He has been called the “Apostle of Appreciation” by Canada’s Globe and Mail, “creative and refreshing‚” by the New York Times, and a “must read for modern managers” by CNN. Elton is co-author of the multiple award-winning bestselling leadership books including All In, The Carrot Principle, Leading with Gratitude and Anxiety at Work. His books have been translated in more than 30 languages and have sold more than 1.6 million copies worldwide. Elton is often quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company and the New York Times. He has appeared on NBC’s Today, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, National Public Radio and CBS’s 60 Minutes.

In 2022, the Global Gurus research organization ranked him No. 3 among the world’s top leadership experts and No. 3 for organizational culture. He is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and is a Thinkers 50 Coaching Award winner. Elton is the co-founder of The Culture Works and a board member of Camp Corral, a non-profit for the children of wounded and fallen military heroes. He serves as a leadership consultant and coach to firms such as American Express, The World Bank, Zoox, Momofuku, and the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.

He is most proud to be the father of four exceptional children, three delightful grandchildren, and married to the amazing Heidi for 40 years.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Chester Elton and other top speakers and celebrities.

Chester Elton Speaking Topics

Carrots 2.0: How today’s managers use recognition to engage their people, retain talent, and accelerate performance With Chester Elton

The Dilemma: Most managers want to create cultures where their teams achieve above-and-beyond results, but for a culture to really take off teammates must encourage each other on a daily basis. The answer is in rooting for each other: having each other’s backs, appreciating strengths, and recognizing strategic behaviors.

The Research: Based his #1 bestselling book The Carrot Principle, which unveiled a 10-year, 200,000- person survey, Elton has become the preeminent authority on employee recognition. Now, he introduces us to Carrots 2.0—showing incontrovertible evidence that today’s employees respond best when they are recognized for things they are good at and for those actions where they had to stretch.

The Result: Elton introduces audiences to new generational and industry-specific data from his 2016 proprietary survey of 14,000 working adults—helping managers link recognition to what is most meaningful to their employees. He introduces practical concepts that help managers encourage excellence, including ideas such as appreciation vs. recognition, effort vs. achievement, and praise vs. rewards. Chester shows how great managers lead with carrots, not sticks and in doing so achieve higher: ?Productivity ?Engagement ?Retention ?Customer Satisfaction The Audience: Designed for managers, Chester Elton has presented “Carrots 2.0” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific recognition needs and can also include the organization’s available R&R tools.

All In - How Great Leaders Develop a Culture of Belief and Deliver Big Results

The Dilemma: While most leaders understand their most reliable competitive advantage comes from their people, few know how to get their teams “all in”—convincing employees to buy into the strategy they’ve put forward. If a culture is clear, positive, and strong, then people will believe what they do matters and that they can make a difference. If a culture is dysfunctional—chaotic, combative or indifferent—employees will spend more time thinking about why the people sitting next to them should be fired than getting fired up themselves.

The Research: Teaming up with research giant Towers Watson, #1 bestselling author Chester Elton presents the findings of an unprecedented 300,000-person study conducted in the worst of the recession for his book All In. Based on this breakthrough research and his extensive consulting experience with a who’s-who of successful organizations, he presents a simple roadmap that all managers can follow to create a high-achieving culture in their own teams where employees are engaged, enabled and energized.

The Result: Elton offers specific how-tos for each step, and tells fascinating stories of leaders in action that vividly depict just how these powerful methods can be implemented. Audiences will learn: ?the 3 research-based characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive organizational and team cultures; ?the 7 steps today’s most successful leaders use to generate buy-in; ?how managers at any level can build a productive workgroup culture of their own where employees commit to the culture and give an extra pushof effort.

The Audience: Designed for senior leaders and managers (although sometimes tailored to include all employees), Chester Elton has presented “All In” to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific culture challenges.

The Best TEAM Wins: The 5 Disciplines of Today’s Most Effective Team Leaders

The Dilemma. The vast majority of employees’ days are now spent working collaboratively, but still 96 percent of executives cite poor teamwork as the main source of workplace failures in their organizations. It might be the most-pressing question organizations must address: How can managers lead their teams to improved performance given the volatility and challenges we face today. The Research. Based on an 850,000-person study of the most profitable, innovative work teams, New York Times bestselling author Chester Elton introduces his audiences to the new science of teamwork—helping leaders deal with the increased speed of change in business, global and remote employees, the rise of the Millennials, the need to work more cross-functionally across departments, and more.

The Result. Elton’s research has discovered a set of leadership disciplines that make the biggest difference in building today’s best teams. He helps leaders: ?Manage to the One—Identify the drivers of each team member for maximum engagement ?Speed Productivity—Help new people and teams work faster & smarter ?Challenge Everything—Inspire greater innovation through healthy debate ?Focus on Customers—Build bridges across functions, cultures, and distance.

The Audience. Designed for senior leaders and managers (although often tailored to include all employees), Chester Elton has presented The Best Team Wins to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide. ?Extremely engaging and motivating talk! Most importantly, you tailored the content perfectly to ensure it was relevant to our fast-paced and forever-changing needs.

Employee Engagement: The Deep Dive (Done with Adrian Gostick)

  • The Dilemma: 90% of senior leaders believe employee engagement is a key driver of business performance, but only 24% think their employees are engaged enough to move their businesses forward.
  • The Research: New York Times bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton are founding partners of The Conference Board’s Engagement Institute, and have unprecedented access to meta-data on engagement that includes hundreds of thousands of employees in some the world’s highest performing organizations.
  • The Result: : In a fresh, humorous and thought-provoking keynote, Gostick & Elton can show exactly how real leaders move the needle on employee engagement. The authors drill deep with case studies and practical examples of known drivers of engagement such as open & honest communication, people development and recognition.
  • The Audience: Designed for managers and senior leaders, the authors have presented “Employee Engagement: The Deep Dive” to many corporate audiences as a follow-up to their All In presentation on Culture. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific engagement needs.

All In - How Great Leaders Develop a Culture of Belief and Deliver Big Results

In this interactive and engaging session based on The New York Times best-selling business book All In—which includes research from more than 300,000 people in high-performance organizations—Chester Elton will teach leaders how to Engage, Enable and Energize their workforces. The formula of E+E+E outlines how high-performance organizations deliver extraordinary results by creating a vibrant, productive culture where people believe that what they do matters and that they can make a difference.

In this presentation, Chester will relate fascinating stories of leaders in action that vividly depict just how these powerful methods can be implemented. Audiences will learn:

-The 3 characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive organizational and team cultures. -The 7 steps today’s most successful managers use to generate buy-in. -How managers at any level can build a productive workgroup culture of their own where employees commit to the culture and give that extra push of effort.

Chester Elton Videos

Managing With Carrots | Chester Elton | TEDxFordhamUniversity ...
Chester Elton Keynote Speech for Tesco
The Carrot Principle | Chester Elton

How do I book Chester Elton to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Chester Elton for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Chester Elton, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Chester Elton or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Chester Elton for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Chester Elton, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Chester Elton are $30,000 - $50,000 for live events and $20,000 - $30,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Chester Elton, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Chester Elton speak about?

Chester Elton is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business, Peak Performance, Human Resources, Business Leadership, Authors, Customer Service, Business Ethics, Communication, Consulting, Personal Growth, Motivational, Leadership, Work-Life Balance, Inspirational, Teamwork & Teambuilding, College, Virtual Speakers, Marketing, Future Of Work, Sports Coaching and Thought Leadership.

Where does Chester Elton travel from?

Chester Elton generally travels from Kamas, UT, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Chester Elton?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Chester Elton for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Chester Elton for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Chester Elton or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Chester Elton is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business, Peak Performance and Human Resources. The estimated speaking fee range to book Chester Elton for live events is $30,000 - $50,000, and for virtual events $20,000 - $30,000. Chester Elton generally travels from Kamas, UT, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Adrian Gostick, Eric Boles and Erica Dhawan. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Chester Elton for an upcoming event.

Chester Elton Speaking Topics

  • Carrots 2.0: How today’s managers use recognition to engage their people, retain talent, and accelerate performance With Chester Elton

    The Dilemma: Most managers want to create cultures where their teams achieve above-and-beyond results, but for a culture to really take off teammates must encourage each other on a daily basis. The answer is in rooting for each other: having each other’s backs, appreciating strengths, and recognizing strategic behaviors.

    The Research: Based his #1 bestselling book The Carrot Principle, which unveiled a 10-year, 200,000- person survey, Elton has become the preeminent authority on employee recognition. Now, he introduces us to Carrots 2.0—showing incontrovertible evidence that today’s employees respond best when they are recognized for things they are good at and for those actions where they had to stretch.

    The Result: Elton introduces audiences to new generational and industry-specific data from his 2016 proprietary survey of 14,000 working adults—helping managers link recognition to what is most meaningful to their employees. He introduces practical concepts that help managers encourage excellence, including ideas such as appreciation vs. recognition, effort vs. achievement, and praise vs. rewards. Chester shows how great managers lead with carrots, not sticks and in doing so achieve higher: ?Productivity ?Engagement ?Retention ?Customer Satisfaction The Audience: Designed for managers, Chester Elton has presented “Carrots 2.0” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific recognition needs and can also include the organization’s available R&R tools.

  • All In - How Great Leaders Develop a Culture of Belief and Deliver Big Results

    The Dilemma: While most leaders understand their most reliable competitive advantage comes from their people, few know how to get their teams “all in”—convincing employees to buy into the strategy they’ve put forward. If a culture is clear, positive, and strong, then people will believe what they do matters and that they can make a difference. If a culture is dysfunctional—chaotic, combative or indifferent—employees will spend more time thinking about why the people sitting next to them should be fired than getting fired up themselves.

    The Research: Teaming up with research giant Towers Watson, #1 bestselling author Chester Elton presents the findings of an unprecedented 300,000-person study conducted in the worst of the recession for his book All In. Based on this breakthrough research and his extensive consulting experience with a who’s-who of successful organizations, he presents a simple roadmap that all managers can follow to create a high-achieving culture in their own teams where employees are engaged, enabled and energized.

    The Result: Elton offers specific how-tos for each step, and tells fascinating stories of leaders in action that vividly depict just how these powerful methods can be implemented. Audiences will learn: ?the 3 research-based characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive organizational and team cultures; ?the 7 steps today’s most successful leaders use to generate buy-in; ?how managers at any level can build a productive workgroup culture of their own where employees commit to the culture and give an extra pushof effort.

    The Audience: Designed for senior leaders and managers (although sometimes tailored to include all employees), Chester Elton has presented “All In” to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific culture challenges.

  • The Best TEAM Wins: The 5 Disciplines of Today’s Most Effective Team Leaders

    The Dilemma. The vast majority of employees’ days are now spent working collaboratively, but still 96 percent of executives cite poor teamwork as the main source of workplace failures in their organizations. It might be the most-pressing question organizations must address: How can managers lead their teams to improved performance given the volatility and challenges we face today. The Research. Based on an 850,000-person study of the most profitable, innovative work teams, New York Times bestselling author Chester Elton introduces his audiences to the new science of teamwork—helping leaders deal with the increased speed of change in business, global and remote employees, the rise of the Millennials, the need to work more cross-functionally across departments, and more.

    The Result. Elton’s research has discovered a set of leadership disciplines that make the biggest difference in building today’s best teams. He helps leaders: ?Manage to the One—Identify the drivers of each team member for maximum engagement ?Speed Productivity—Help new people and teams work faster & smarter ?Challenge Everything—Inspire greater innovation through healthy debate ?Focus on Customers—Build bridges across functions, cultures, and distance.

    The Audience. Designed for senior leaders and managers (although often tailored to include all employees), Chester Elton has presented The Best Team Wins to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide. ?Extremely engaging and motivating talk! Most importantly, you tailored the content perfectly to ensure it was relevant to our fast-paced and forever-changing needs.

  • Employee Engagement: The Deep Dive (Done with Adrian Gostick)

    • The Dilemma: 90% of senior leaders believe employee engagement is a key driver of business performance, but only 24% think their employees are engaged enough to move their businesses forward.
    • The Research: New York Times bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton are founding partners of The Conference Board’s Engagement Institute, and have unprecedented access to meta-data on engagement that includes hundreds of thousands of employees in some the world’s highest performing organizations.
    • The Result: : In a fresh, humorous and thought-provoking keynote, Gostick & Elton can show exactly how real leaders move the needle on employee engagement. The authors drill deep with case studies and practical examples of known drivers of engagement such as open & honest communication, people development and recognition.
    • The Audience: Designed for managers and senior leaders, the authors have presented “Employee Engagement: The Deep Dive” to many corporate audiences as a follow-up to their All In presentation on Culture. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific engagement needs.

  • All In - How Great Leaders Develop a Culture of Belief and Deliver Big Results

    In this interactive and engaging session based on The New York Times best-selling business book All In—which includes research from more than 300,000 people in high-performance organizations—Chester Elton will teach leaders how to Engage, Enable and Energize their workforces. The formula of E+E+E outlines how high-performance organizations deliver extraordinary results by creating a vibrant, productive culture where people believe that what they do matters and that they can make a difference.

    In this presentation, Chester will relate fascinating stories of leaders in action that vividly depict just how these powerful methods can be implemented. Audiences will learn:

    -The 3 characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive organizational and team cultures. -The 7 steps today’s most successful managers use to generate buy-in. -How managers at any level can build a productive workgroup culture of their own where employees commit to the culture and give that extra push of effort.

Chester Elton Videos

Managing With Carrots | Chester Elton | TEDxFordhamUniversity ...
Chester Elton Keynote Speech for Tesco
The Carrot Principle | Chester Elton

Chester Elton Reviews

  • Chester Elton was a fantastic addition to our U.S. leadership discussion. He delivered a perfectly balanced culture-focused discussion that was both transformational and light hearted. Almost 1 month later and the leadership team is still talking about Chester! So good!
    Galderma - Jul 19 2022

  • Our team loved Chester's presentation!
    AstraZeneca - Jul 11 2022

  • We had a terrific experience.
    AbbVie - Jun 10 2022

  • Chester gave a wonderful presentation!
    AtriCure - Jan 16 2020

  • Chester received a standing ovation and some participants approached me on how to schedule him for their individual hospital systems! From my perspective, I'd say that it was a grand-slam home-run to spearhead a cultural change initiative throughout our region. Chester's approach to combine strategy and tactics, supported by real-world studies was instrumental at not only gaining participant buy-in, but at inspiring our leaders and helping us formulate actionable plans moving forward. Changing the culture of any government agency can be a daunting task, but the concepts of "All In," "The Carrot Principle," and "What Motivates Me" can be combined to create a tool-box that all organizations can leverage to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, Chester's technique proves that although building an "All-in" culture can be challenging, it also brings a wealth of opportunities for building relationships, recognizing people at all levels, and having fun in the process.
    Unknown - Jul 27 2015

Chester Elton News

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