Chester Elton

Chester Elton (born September 22, 1958) is an author, motivational speaker, trainer, and employee engagement expert. He is the New York Times best-selling author of several books on leadership and organizational management, including The Carrot Principle, All In and What Motivates Me (co-written with Adrian Gostick), Elton’s books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold more than 1,000,000 copies worldwide.

All In: How the best managers create a culture of belief and drive big results In this New York Times bestselling business book, Gostick and Elton teamed up with research firm Towers Watson to analyze a 300,000-person study. Their finding: managers of the highest-performing work groups get their people “all in.” In these distinctive workplaces, employees believe in their leaders and in the company’s vision, values, and goals. Employees are not only engaged but also enabled and energized (termed the three Es), which led to average annual revenues three times higher than for organizations lacking such a positive culture. And this was true during a period that included the most recent recession. The authors included case studies with companies such as American Express, Cigna, Avis Budget, Pepsi Bottling, and Hard Rock Café. They then presented a seven-step road map for creating a culture of belief: define a burning platform; create a customer focus; develop agility; share everything; partner with your talent; root for each other; and establish clear accountability.

What Motivates Me: Put your passions to work After analyzing the results of 850,000 interviews, the authors sought to discover why so many people are not as engaged and energized as they could be at work. They found those who are happiest and most successful are engaged in work that aligns with what motivates them. What Motivates Me includes a code to the Motivators Assessment, a scientifically valid assessment that helps individuals identify what motivates them at work. The book also features a set of exercises to help readers sculpt their jobs with 60 strategies.

Adrian and Chester Elton's flagship book, The Carrot Principle, was based on a 200,000 person study from 1996-2006. The second edition published in 2009 included a 2008 global survey of 10,000 people in 13 countries. The results of these studies revealed the surprising advantages of recognition on employee performance, including its effects on morale, productivity and return on equity. Their upcoming collaboration, The Orange Revolution (publish date September 2010), is a follow up based on a 350,000 manager and employee survey on the power of teamwork.

Chester was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Brigham Young University. Called the “Apostle of appreciation” by the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest newspaper, and “creative and refreshing‚” by the New York Times, Chester Elton is co-author of several successful leadership books. All In, The Carrot Principle and What Motivates Me have been New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestsellers. His work has been called a “must read for modern managers,” by Larry King of CNN. Elton’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold more than a million copies worldwide. As a motivation expert, Chester has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company and the New York Times, and has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, National Public Radio and CBS’s 60 Minutes. And if you Google the 30 Top Leadership Gurus, you’ll consistently find Chester on the list along with Jack Welch and Jim Collins. Chester serves as a leadership consultant to firms such as American Express, Avis Budget Group and Cigna.