A subject of in-depth profiles in the New York Times, Fortune, and Fast Company, Marcus Buckingham is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on employee productivity and the practices of leading and managing. He is now an independent consultant, author, and speaker.

Buckingham previously served seventeen years with The Gallup Organization where he helped lead research into the world’s best leaders, managers, and workplaces. There he built a practice with more than 1,000 clients, including Best Buy, Disney, Fidelity Investments, Toyota, and Wells Fargo. He drew on this research and used it as the basis for two bestselling books: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently (co-authored with Curt Coffman) and Now, Discover Your Strengths (co-authored with Donald O. Clifton). His last books are The One Thing You Need to Know, which focuses on what can be learned from the very few leaders who truly excelled, and Go Put Your Strengths to Work.

Buckingham graduated from Cambridge University in 1987 with a master's degree in social and political science. He is a member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Leadership and Management.