Jacob Morgan

At his very first corporate job, Jacob Morgan was told he’d be traveling the country, meeting executives and entrepreneurs, and doing exciting, high-impact work. A few months in, he was stuck doing data entry, cold calling, and PowerPoint decks. Then one day, the CEO walked out of his corner office, handed Jacob a $10 bill, and said, “I’m late for a meeting, go grab me a cup of coffee, and get something for yourself as well.”

That was the last corporate job Jacob Morgan ever had. What followed is two decades spent studying how the best leaders, organizations, and employees adapt to a world of work that never stops changing — and turning that research into six best-selling books, one of the world’s most popular leadership podcasts, and a stage career built on a single mission: helping leaders and organizations become future-ready.

A Trained Futurist, Backed by Research

Jacob is a professionally trained futurist — certified in strategic foresight from the University of Houston — and the international best-selling author of six books, including Leading With Vulnerability, The Future Leader, and The Employee Experience Advantage. His frameworks are built on interviews with 140+ CEOs and survey data from nearly 14,000 employees, and his insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USA Today, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

From Research to Stage

Jacob speaks at more than 50 conferences a year, including TED Academy, and personalizes every talk for the audience in the room. He also runs a private CHRO community of the world’s top people leaders and hosts the Great Leadership podcast, keeping him on the front edge of how AI, leadership, and employee experience are reshaping the workplace in real time. His work is endorsed by the CEOs of Mastercard, Unilever, Best Buy, The Home Depot, Hyatt, and dozens of others.

Meeting planners book Jacob Morgan as a keynote speaker for organizations ready to lead — and build workplaces that stay competitive — through the age of AI.

What does Jacob Morgan speak about?
Jacob Morgan speaks on leadership, the future of work, employee experience, and how AI is reshaping the workplace. Jacob Morgan’s keynotes are built on research with 140+ CEOs and nearly 14,000 employees, covering the mindsets and skills leaders need to navigate disruption, why vulnerability is a leadership strength, and how organizations can stay future-ready as AI transforms work.

What is Jacob Morgan’s background?
Jacob Morgan is a professionally trained futurist, certified in strategic foresight from the University of Houston, and the international best-selling author of six books, including Leading With Vulnerability, The Future Leader, and The Employee Experience Advantage. Jacob Morgan speaks at more than 50 conferences a year, including TED Academy, and hosts one of the world’s most popular leadership podcasts.

Who books Jacob Morgan to speak?
Meeting planners book Jacob Morgan for leadership conferences, HR and employee experience events, and corporate audiences navigating AI and the future of work. Jacob Morgan’s keynotes have been booked by organizations including Mastercard, Unilever, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Hyatt.

Future-Ready Leadership: The Skills and Mindsets to Lead In The New World of Work

How do you lead when everything is changing — from AI to employee expectations — and the old playbook no longer applies? Drawing on research with 140+ CEOs and nearly 14,000 employees, Jacob reveals the four mindsets and five essential skills that define future-ready leadership.

• Uncover the 4 mindsets and 5 essential skills that define future-ready leadership
• Understand why traditional leadership approaches are failing — and what’s replacing them
• Gain a proven framework to lead confidently through disruption, transformation, and uncertainty
• Learn how to build trust, drive engagement, and lead high-performing teams in any environment — remote, hybrid, or in-person
• Discover how to think like a futurist and act like a coach to stay relevant and resilient

The Human Edge: Why Leading With Vulnerability Wins in the Age of AI

Vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s a leadership superpower. Drawing on interviews with 100+ CEOs and data from 14,000 employees, Jacob shows why vulnerability for leaders isn’t the same as vulnerability for everyone else, and how combining it with competence builds trust and drives real results.

• Understand the difference between “being vulnerable” and “leading with vulnerability” — and why it matters
• Learn the 8 key attributes of vulnerable leaders — and how to build them into your leadership style
• Discover why vulnerability fails for some leaders — and how to avoid the common traps
• Explore the proven ROI of vulnerable leadership on trust, engagement, and performance
• Walk away with a practical roadmap to become a more authentic, respected, and impactful leader

8 Laws of Employee Experience: How To Build a Future-Ready Organization That Attracts Top Talent

The future of any organization hinges on one thing: the experience it creates for its people. Drawing on research from over 100 of the world’s leading companies, Jacob unveils the 8 Laws of Employee Experience — a framework for designing organizations that attract top talent, unlock potential, and accelerate business success.

• Unlock the 8 Laws of Employee Experience — and learn how to use them to drive transformation and business impact
• Understand why employee experience is no longer just HR’s job — it’s a mission-critical leadership priority
• Discover how the best companies build workplaces that are human-centered, performance-driven, and future-ready
• Explore the four employee experience futures — and learn how to shape the one you want
• Learn why top organizations are ditching gimmicks and getting back to basics — and what your company must do now

The Future of Work: How AI Is Reshaping The Workplace And The Powerful New Role Humans Play

As AI transforms decision-making, collaboration, hiring, and learning, a critical question emerges: what is the uniquely human role in a world powered by AI? Jacob unpacks how leading organizations are redesigning jobs, workflows, and business models to work with AI — not against it — and reveals the human traits that machines can’t replicate.

• Understand how AI is reshaping business models, workflows, and the very nature of work
• Explore the major shifts redefining jobs, industries, and organizational design
• Learn how to prepare your organization for the new roles and capabilities emerging in an AI-augmented world
• Identify the risks of over-automation — and how to balance efficiency with human judgment
• Walk away with strategic foresight tools to navigate disruption and build a resilient, future-ready organization