![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 142 27" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M 16.575 20.287 L 16.678 6.681 L 16.601 6.681 L 11.851 20.287 L 8.752 20.287 L 4.131 6.681 L 4.053 6.681 L 4.157 20.287 L 0 20.287 L 0 1.059 L 6.274 1.059 L 10.431 13.389 L 10.534 13.389 L 14.51 1.059 L 20.887 1.059 L 20.887 20.287 Z M 32.016 14.394 L 31.474 14.394 C 31.009 14.394 30.537 14.421 30.054 14.475 C 29.625 14.505 29.2 14.587 28.789 14.72 C 28.45 14.833 28.14 15.028 27.885 15.29 C 27.645 15.525 27.524 15.842 27.524 16.241 C 27.524 16.494 27.576 16.711 27.679 16.892 C 27.799 17.074 27.947 17.218 28.119 17.327 C 28.291 17.436 28.488 17.517 28.712 17.571 C 28.935 17.608 29.152 17.626 29.357 17.626 C 30.218 17.626 30.872 17.381 31.319 16.892 C 31.784 16.386 32.017 15.707 32.017 14.856 Z M 24.245 8.609 C 24.999 7.851 25.896 7.268 26.879 6.898 C 27.872 6.522 28.921 6.329 29.977 6.328 C 31.061 6.328 31.973 6.473 32.713 6.762 C 33.471 7.034 34.082 7.469 34.547 8.066 C 35.011 8.645 35.347 9.388 35.553 10.293 C 35.777 11.18 35.889 12.239 35.889 13.471 L 35.889 20.287 L 32.016 20.287 L 32.016 18.848 L 31.94 18.848 C 31.612 19.409 31.113 19.844 30.441 20.151 C 29.767 20.464 29.037 20.621 28.3 20.613 C 27.759 20.61 27.221 20.537 26.698 20.396 C 26.155 20.255 25.64 20.016 25.175 19.69 C 24.715 19.35 24.336 18.904 24.065 18.386 C 23.772 17.843 23.625 17.173 23.625 16.376 C 23.625 15.399 23.875 14.611 24.374 14.014 C 24.891 13.416 25.545 12.955 26.336 12.629 C 27.145 12.303 28.04 12.085 29.021 11.977 C 29.973 11.87 30.93 11.815 31.887 11.814 L 31.887 11.597 C 31.887 10.927 31.664 10.438 31.216 10.13 C 30.768 9.804 30.218 9.641 29.564 9.641 C 28.961 9.641 28.376 9.777 27.808 10.049 C 27.291 10.297 26.812 10.627 26.388 11.026 Z M 52.681 19.011 C 52.681 20.333 52.501 21.482 52.139 22.46 C 51.778 23.438 51.27 24.243 50.616 24.877 C 49.962 25.529 49.162 26.009 48.216 26.316 C 47.285 26.642 46.253 26.805 45.118 26.805 C 43.981 26.805 42.81 26.624 41.605 26.262 C 40.418 25.9 39.385 25.375 38.507 24.687 L 40.624 21.509 C 41.218 22.072 41.911 22.506 42.664 22.786 C 43.374 23.066 44.126 23.213 44.884 23.22 C 46.124 23.22 47.036 22.876 47.621 22.188 C 48.223 21.5 48.525 20.586 48.525 19.445 L 48.525 18.631 L 48.448 18.631 C 48.051 19.174 47.518 19.608 46.846 19.934 C 46.175 20.26 45.409 20.423 44.549 20.423 C 43.568 20.423 42.698 20.242 41.941 19.88 C 41.204 19.516 40.546 18.999 40.005 18.359 C 39.481 17.711 39.078 16.965 38.817 16.159 C 38.539 15.293 38.4 14.385 38.404 13.471 C 38.404 12.529 38.542 11.633 38.817 10.782 C 39.077 9.96 39.48 9.196 40.005 8.528 C 40.54 7.875 41.2 7.347 41.941 6.98 C 42.698 6.581 43.559 6.382 44.523 6.382 C 45.332 6.382 46.106 6.554 46.846 6.898 C 47.578 7.235 48.198 7.792 48.628 8.501 L 48.68 8.501 L 48.68 6.762 L 52.681 6.762 Z M 48.654 13.443 C 48.654 12.991 48.577 12.556 48.421 12.14 C 48.291 11.735 48.079 11.365 47.802 11.054 C 47.529 10.73 47.195 10.471 46.821 10.293 C 46.414 10.106 45.974 10.013 45.53 10.022 C 45.048 10.022 44.617 10.112 44.239 10.293 C 43.877 10.474 43.567 10.719 43.309 11.026 C 43.051 11.334 42.853 11.696 42.716 12.113 C 42.577 12.541 42.506 12.991 42.509 13.443 C 42.509 13.896 42.578 14.331 42.715 14.747 C 42.853 15.163 43.051 15.535 43.309 15.861 C 43.567 16.168 43.877 16.422 44.239 16.621 C 44.617 16.802 45.048 16.893 45.53 16.893 C 46.012 16.893 46.442 16.802 46.821 16.621 C 47.193 16.44 47.527 16.181 47.802 15.861 C 48.077 15.553 48.284 15.191 48.421 14.774 C 48.576 14.358 48.654 13.914 48.654 13.443 Z M 60.639 2.444 C 60.639 2.788 60.57 3.114 60.432 3.422 C 60.312 3.712 60.14 3.965 59.916 4.182 C 59.695 4.409 59.431 4.585 59.142 4.698 C 58.849 4.825 58.539 4.888 58.212 4.888 C 57.524 4.888 56.947 4.653 56.481 4.182 C 56.018 3.694 55.785 3.114 55.785 2.444 C 55.785 2.118 55.845 1.811 55.966 1.521 C 56.081 1.222 56.257 0.953 56.482 0.733 C 56.706 0.516 56.964 0.344 57.257 0.217 C 57.549 0.072 57.868 0 58.212 0 C 58.539 0 58.849 0.063 59.142 0.19 C 59.451 0.317 59.71 0.489 59.916 0.706 C 60.14 0.923 60.312 1.186 60.432 1.494 C 60.57 1.783 60.639 2.1 60.639 2.444 Z M 56.095 20.287 L 56.095 6.762 L 60.329 6.762 L 60.329 20.287 Z M 72.538 11.135 C 72.277 10.793 71.94 10.522 71.557 10.347 C 71.161 10.152 70.73 10.05 70.292 10.049 C 69.87 10.042 69.453 10.145 69.078 10.347 C 68.717 10.528 68.407 10.782 68.149 11.108 C 67.891 11.416 67.685 11.778 67.53 12.194 C 67.39 12.622 67.32 13.072 67.323 13.525 C 67.323 13.996 67.392 14.439 67.53 14.856 C 67.667 15.272 67.864 15.643 68.123 15.969 C 68.399 16.277 68.717 16.521 69.079 16.702 C 69.457 16.884 69.879 16.974 70.344 16.974 C 70.774 16.974 71.195 16.893 71.609 16.73 C 72.039 16.549 72.384 16.295 72.642 15.969 L 74.991 18.984 C 74.458 19.527 73.769 19.952 72.926 20.26 C 72.062 20.572 71.154 20.728 70.241 20.722 C 69.274 20.73 68.314 20.565 67.401 20.233 C 66.554 19.926 65.773 19.446 65.103 18.821 C 64.457 18.174 63.939 17.398 63.579 16.54 C 63.218 15.652 63.037 14.647 63.037 13.525 C 63.037 12.42 63.218 11.425 63.579 10.538 C 63.935 9.684 64.454 8.917 65.103 8.283 C 65.767 7.643 66.549 7.153 67.401 6.844 C 68.302 6.496 69.255 6.321 70.215 6.328 C 70.679 6.328 71.136 6.373 71.582 6.464 C 72.048 6.554 72.487 6.681 72.9 6.844 C 73.33 6.989 73.717 7.179 74.062 7.414 C 74.423 7.631 74.733 7.876 74.991 8.148 Z M 90.764 6.98 C 90.764 8.102 90.566 9.053 90.17 9.831 C 89.788 10.576 89.239 11.21 88.569 11.678 C 87.898 12.149 87.124 12.493 86.246 12.71 C 85.368 12.927 84.456 13.036 83.509 13.036 L 81.315 13.036 L 81.315 20.287 L 76.899 20.287 L 76.899 1.059 L 83.611 1.059 C 84.61 1.059 85.539 1.168 86.4 1.385 C 87.278 1.584 88.035 1.919 88.672 2.39 C 89.325 2.842 89.851 3.47 90.195 4.21 C 90.574 4.952 90.764 5.875 90.764 6.98 Z M 86.349 7.007 C 86.349 6.554 86.263 6.183 86.091 5.893 C 85.92 5.605 85.679 5.371 85.393 5.214 C 85.078 5.044 84.738 4.934 84.387 4.888 C 84.011 4.833 83.631 4.806 83.251 4.807 L 81.315 4.807 L 81.315 9.342 L 83.174 9.342 C 83.587 9.342 83.982 9.306 84.361 9.234 C 84.715 9.171 85.056 9.042 85.368 8.854 C 85.678 8.673 85.919 8.437 86.091 8.147 C 86.263 7.84 86.349 7.459 86.349 7.007 Z M 105.528 13.471 C 105.528 14.575 105.339 15.58 104.96 16.485 C 104.598 17.349 104.07 18.125 103.411 18.766 C 102.745 19.39 101.975 19.878 101.139 20.206 C 100.279 20.55 99.358 20.722 98.377 20.722 C 97.434 20.726 96.498 20.551 95.614 20.206 C 94.778 19.878 94.008 19.39 93.342 18.766 C 92.696 18.119 92.178 17.344 91.819 16.485 C 91.44 15.58 91.251 14.575 91.251 13.471 C 91.251 12.366 91.44 11.37 91.819 10.483 C 92.174 9.63 92.693 8.863 93.342 8.229 C 94.005 7.608 94.776 7.128 95.614 6.817 C 96.502 6.489 97.436 6.324 98.377 6.328 C 99.358 6.328 100.279 6.491 101.139 6.817 C 102 7.143 102.757 7.613 103.411 8.229 C 104.074 8.856 104.602 9.625 104.96 10.483 C 105.339 11.37 105.528 12.366 105.528 13.471 Z M 101.449 13.471 C 101.449 13.036 101.38 12.611 101.242 12.194 C 101.114 11.795 100.913 11.425 100.649 11.108 C 100.386 10.778 100.061 10.51 99.693 10.32 C 99.315 10.121 98.876 10.021 98.377 10.021 C 97.877 10.021 97.439 10.121 97.06 10.32 C 96.693 10.51 96.368 10.778 96.105 11.108 C 95.864 11.416 95.674 11.778 95.537 12.194 C 95.295 13.026 95.295 13.915 95.537 14.747 C 95.674 15.163 95.872 15.544 96.13 15.888 C 96.389 16.214 96.707 16.476 97.086 16.675 C 97.464 16.874 97.903 16.974 98.402 16.974 C 98.902 16.974 99.34 16.874 99.719 16.675 C 100.098 16.476 100.416 16.214 100.674 15.888 C 100.933 15.544 101.122 15.163 101.242 14.747 C 101.38 14.331 101.449 13.905 101.449 13.471 Z M 115.773 10.755 C 115.415 10.4 115.004 10.107 114.56 9.886 C 114.101 9.652 113.598 9.531 113.088 9.533 C 112.692 9.533 112.322 9.614 111.978 9.777 C 111.651 9.94 111.487 10.221 111.487 10.619 C 111.487 10.999 111.668 11.271 112.03 11.434 C 112.408 11.597 113.011 11.778 113.837 11.977 C 114.33 12.089 114.813 12.243 115.283 12.438 C 115.782 12.638 116.229 12.9 116.625 13.226 C 117.021 13.552 117.34 13.95 117.581 14.421 C 117.821 14.892 117.942 15.453 117.942 16.105 C 117.942 16.956 117.778 17.68 117.451 18.278 C 117.132 18.848 116.69 19.332 116.161 19.69 C 115.644 20.052 115.059 20.314 114.405 20.477 C 113.762 20.639 113.103 20.721 112.443 20.722 C 111.393 20.722 110.36 20.55 109.345 20.206 C 108.346 19.844 107.511 19.319 106.84 18.631 L 109.215 15.996 C 109.594 16.431 110.059 16.793 110.61 17.083 C 111.154 17.371 111.755 17.52 112.365 17.517 C 112.71 17.517 113.045 17.436 113.372 17.273 C 113.716 17.092 113.889 16.784 113.889 16.349 C 113.889 15.933 113.682 15.625 113.269 15.426 C 112.856 15.227 112.21 15.019 111.333 14.801 C 110.875 14.69 110.427 14.544 109.99 14.367 C 109.551 14.191 109.142 13.944 108.777 13.633 C 108.425 13.315 108.135 12.928 107.925 12.493 C 107.701 12.04 107.589 11.497 107.589 10.863 C 107.589 10.049 107.752 9.361 108.079 8.799 C 108.394 8.234 108.826 7.751 109.345 7.387 C 109.865 7.023 110.441 6.757 111.049 6.599 C 111.662 6.422 112.296 6.33 112.933 6.328 C 113.89 6.327 114.841 6.492 115.747 6.817 C 116.677 7.125 117.46 7.595 118.097 8.229 Z M 124.983 10.103 L 124.983 15.263 C 124.983 15.897 125.095 16.376 125.318 16.702 C 125.559 17.01 125.981 17.164 126.583 17.164 C 126.79 17.164 127.005 17.146 127.229 17.11 C 127.47 17.074 127.668 17.019 127.823 16.947 L 127.874 20.206 C 127.513 20.332 127.141 20.422 126.764 20.477 C 126.317 20.568 125.869 20.613 125.422 20.613 C 124.561 20.613 123.838 20.505 123.253 20.287 C 122.668 20.052 122.194 19.726 121.833 19.31 C 121.483 18.864 121.228 18.346 121.084 17.789 C 120.923 17.142 120.845 16.475 120.852 15.806 L 120.852 10.103 L 118.786 10.103 L 118.786 6.762 L 120.826 6.762 L 120.826 3.205 L 124.983 3.205 L 124.983 6.762 L 128.003 6.762 L 128.003 10.103 Z" fill="rgb(54, 37, 75)" height="26.80529977783203px" id="tymKb8bqC" width="128.00300311279295px"/><path d="M 0 2.417 L 0 0 L 12.909 0 L 12.909 2.417 Z" fill="rgb(126, 78, 253)" height="2.417099999999998px" id="aYr4em6zK" transform="translate(128.341 22.325)" width="12.908999999999992px"/></svg>)
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 41 27" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><defs ><linearGradient id="yD9d4I5GR-3279285344-linear-gradient" x1="1" x2="0" y1="0.4974874371859296" y2="0.5025125628140704"><stop offset="0" stop-color="rgb(179, 119, 255)"/><stop offset="1" stop-color="rgb(118, 37, 250)"/></linearGradient></defs><g d="M 19.242 21.22 L 19.362 6.204 L 19.272 6.204 L 13.757 21.22 L 10.161 21.22 L 4.796 6.204 L 4.706 6.204 L 4.825 21.22 L 0 21.22 L 0 0 L 7.283 0 L 12.109 13.607 L 12.229 13.607 L 16.844 0 L 24.247 0 L 24.247 21.22 Z M 26.421 26.113 L 26.421 23.445 L 41.407 23.445 L 41.407 26.113 Z" fill="transparent" height="26.112508199679183px" id="DvfaAIHYn" width="41.40731898311435px"><path d="M 19.242 21.22 L 19.362 6.204 L 19.272 6.204 L 13.757 21.22 L 10.161 21.22 L 4.796 6.204 L 4.706 6.204 L 4.825 21.22 L 0 21.22 L 0 0 L 7.283 0 L 12.109 13.607 L 12.229 13.607 L 16.844 0 L 24.247 0 L 24.247 21.22 Z" fill="rgb(46, 46, 46)" height="21.220180016149442px" id="pLsxRCobd" width="24.247352589074694px"/><path d="M 0 2.668 L 0 0 L 14.986 0 L 14.986 2.668 Z" fill="url(%23yD9d4I5GR-3279285344-linear-gradient)" height="2.6675085048549647px" id="yD9d4I5GR" transform="translate(26.421 23.445)" width="14.986002836263765px"/></g></svg>)
Naïlé Titah
Leadership might be the single most crowded topic on LinkedIn: we count 69,954 leadership posts in the last 12 months in our dataset alone. Almost all of them vanish. The typical leadership post earns 40 likes.
So who actually moves the needle when they write about leadership? At MagicPost, we took the 1,024 creators in our dataset who post about leadership consistently (at least 10 leadership posts in the last 12 months, minimum 5,000 followers) and ranked them by median likes on their leadership posts alone. Not their overall fame: what happens, today, when they hit publish on this specific topic. Number twenty earns 63 times the typical leadership post. Number one earns 223 times it.
Two numbers you will not find anywhere else sit in each profile below: the share of feed (is leadership their life or a guest appearance?) and the vs-overall figure: whether their leadership posts earn more or less than their own usual median. The two strategies on the podium say it all. Number one writes leadership eleven times a year and tops the list; number three wrote 222 leadership posts and built his entire feed around the topic. Both work.
The full board first, then the countdown:
TL;DR: We ranked the top 20 LinkedIn creators on Leadership by one number nobody else publishes: median likes on their leadership posts alone, over 12 months and 1,024 creators. Adam Grant leads with 8,922 median likes per leadership post, 223x what the typical leadership post earns (40 likes).
#20 · John C. Maxwell, 2,524 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
1.6M | 2,524 | 128 | 74% | +0% | 0.16% |
John C. Maxwell is the genre's elder statesman, a leadership author who has trained more than ten million people. Three quarters of his feed is leadership and his leadership posts earn exactly his overall median: there is almost nothing else on his page to compare them to. On 128 posts in 12 months, the volume is heavy and the median holds steady.
"In life, falling into the water of failure is an inevitable reality that no one can truly avoid. But I've learned that the difference between successful and unsuccessful people is not the avoidance of" His most liked leadership post of the year: 6,954 likes. Read it
#19 · Colby Kultgen, 2,621 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
506k | 2,621 | 20 | 8% | +27% | 0.52% |
Colby Kultgen is the founder of 1% Better and one of the purest tourists of this ranking: leadership is just 8% of his feed, yet those rare leadership posts earn 27% more than his overall median. A self-development audience rewards the leadership angle when it shows up. He is based in Canada, where he also features in our Canadian ranking.
"7 ways to become indispensable at work:" His most liked leadership post of the year: 17,175 likes. Read it
#18 · Alex Hormozi, 2,707 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
949k | 2,707 | 109 | 23% | +5% | 0.29% |
Alex Hormozi, founder of Acquisition.com and co-founder of Skool, posts leadership often (109 posts, 23% of his feed) at a small 5% premium over his overall median. His card shows the swing of a high-volume year: a 3,508 median in 2025 followed by 1,797 across his 2026 posts. We profiled him in his data biography.
"If you can be in a bad mood for no reason, you might as well be in a good mood for no reason." His most liked leadership post of the year: 14,713 likes. Read it
#17 · Reese Witherspoon, 2,948 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
99k | 2,948 | 10 | 26% | -8% | 2.98% |
Reese Witherspoon, founder and producer, holds the highest engagement rate of this top 20 by a wide margin: 2.98%, on the smallest audience of the list. She posts leadership rarely (10 posts) and those posts run 8% below her overall median, but on 99k followers her reach per post is unmatched here.
"Avoid the bottom third." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 6,431 likes. Read it
#16 · Rob Dance, 3,004 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
373k | 3,004 | 149 | 62% | +7% | 0.81% |
Rob Dance, CEO and founder of ROCK, runs a high-volume leadership feed from the United Kingdom (he also features in our UK ranking). His card shows a steady decline in yearly median: 4,259 in 2024, 3,441 in 2025, then 2,708 across his 2026 posts, the cost of publishing 149 leadership posts in a year.
"Insecure people see someone winning and feel threatened. But confident leaders? They see someone winning and get curious." His most liked leadership post of the year: 10,479 likes. Read it
#15 · Costas K. G., 3,065 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
106k | 3,065 | 42 | 81% | +7% | 2.88% |
Costas K. G. is an HR professional from Greece whose feed is 81% leadership, the second-highest focus of this top 20. His card shows one of the steepest climbs on the list: a 804 median in 2024, then 2,889 in 2025, a near four-fold jump. On 106k followers, his 2.88% engagement rate is the second-best of the ranking.
"Titles expire. Salaries run out. Influence stays." His most liked leadership post of the year: 8,676 likes. Read it
#14 · Mel Robbins, 3,075 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
1.6M | 3,075 | 32 | 11% | +62% | 0.19% |
Mel Robbins, author of The Let Them Theory and podcast host, is the tourist with the biggest premium of this top 20: leadership is only 11% of her feed, yet those posts earn 62% more than her overall median. Her card backs the momentum, a 2,638 median in 2025 jumping to 6,016 across her 2026 posts.
"I am always honored when YOU spend time with me, and now TIME Magazine is honoring me, and 15 other remarkable women as the Women of the Year" Her most liked leadership post of the year: 15,467 likes. Read it
#13 · Rafael Juan, 3,124 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
142k | 3,124 | 20 | 26% | +7% | 2.20% |
Rafael Juan, CEO of Vicky Foods, is the only creator from Spain in this top 20 (he also features in our Spanish ranking). He writes in Spanish on a modest audience, and a 2.20% engagement rate puts him among the most efficient of the list.
"Hay una sensación que mucha gente conoce bien pero pocas veces se atreve a verbalizar: sentirse invisible." His most liked leadership post of the year: 7,043 likes. Read it
#12 · Kunal Shah, 3,237 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
1.2M | 3,237 | 10 | 32% | +31% | 0.26% |
Kunal Shah, founder of CRED, is one of two creators from India in this top 20 (he also features in our Indian ranking). He posts leadership rarely (10 posts) at a 31% premium over his overall median, and his style is the shortest of the genre: his best post is a single sentence.
"Best talent is usually great at getting stuff done without escalating or causing much drama." His most liked leadership post of the year: 10,550 likes. Read it
#11 · Justin Wright, 3,520 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
706k | 3,520 | 194 | 75% | +3% | 0.50% |
Justin Wright, founder of KnownLeaders and a former CIO, runs one of the highest-volume leadership feeds of this list: 194 leadership posts at 75% of his feed. His card shows the volume trade: a 4,200 median in 2025 settling to 3,595 across his 2026 posts. The premium over his overall median is a slim 3%, the sign of a feed almost entirely about one topic.
"Great teams don't happen by accident. The best I've seen share 5 powerful traits." His most liked leadership post of the year: 12,326 likes. Read it
#10 · Carsten Maschmeyer, 3,798 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
505k | 3,798 | 64 | 49% | +7% | 0.75% |
Carsten Maschmeyer, entrepreneur and startup investor, is the only creator from Germany in this top 20 (he also features in our German ranking). Nearly half his feed is leadership, and his card traces a long build: a 2,221 median in 2023 rising to 5,516 in 2024, then easing back through 2025 and 2026.
"Dinge, die mir als Chef komplett egal sind: Ob jemand um 7 Uhr morgens oder erst um 11 Uhr anfängt." His most liked leadership post of the year: 14,582 likes. Read it
#9 · Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, 3,967 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
234k | 3,967 | 106 | 40% | +22% | 1.69% |
Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Explorer, pairs a strong premium with strong efficiency: her leadership posts earn 22% more than her overall median on a 1.69% engagement rate, one of the best of this top 20. Her card shows a rising median, 3,647 in 2025 to 4,110 across her 2026 posts, on heavy volume (106 posts).
"Character isn't built in big moments. It's built in small ones. When no one's watching." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 10,262 likes. Read it
#8 · Justin Welsh, 3,982 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
853k | 3,982 | 19 | 3% | +31% | 0.47% |
Justin Welsh, the solopreneur creator, is the purest tourist of this ranking: leadership is just 3% of his feed, the lowest share of the top 20, yet those rare posts earn 31% more than his overall median. His audience came for work and money essays and rewards the occasional leadership turn. We profiled him in his data biography.
"A stupid simple way to stand out in business (and life): Be extremely easy to work with. Be an optimist." His most liked leadership post of the year: 7,261 likes. Read it
#7 · Carolina Martins, 4,237 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
2.9M | 4,237 | 11 | 25% | +1826% | 0.15% |
Carolina Martins is the only creator from Brazil in this top 20 (she also features in our Brazilian ranking). Her vs-overall figure is the headline number of the page: her leadership posts earn 1,826% more than her overall median. The reason is structural, her general feed sits at a low base, so her rare leadership posts (11 of them) tower over it.
"Tem gente que entrega mais que resultado: entrega lealdade, visão, comprometimento." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 8,588 likes. Read it
#6 · Ghazal Alagh, 4,412 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
663k | 4,412 | 10 | 20% | +36% | 0.67% |
Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth, is one of two creators from India in this top 20 (she also features in our Indian ranking). Leadership is a fifth of her feed, written rarely (10 posts), yet those posts earn a 36% premium over her overall median, one of the higher premiums of the top 10.
"Want to grow faster in your career? Then you need to stop doing these 5 things." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 11,058 likes. Read it
#5 · Simon Sinek, 4,864 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
8.9M | 4,864 | 74 | 33% | +11% | 0.05% |
Simon Sinek, the "Start with Why" author, owns the biggest audience of this ranking: 8.9 million followers. A third of his feed is leadership, earning an 11% premium over his overall median, and his card shows a recovery, a 4,277 median in 2025 lifting to 4,828 across his 2026 posts.
"Great leaders see and invest in employees as whole persons. Which of these approaches can you try out this week?" His most liked leadership post of the year: 24,887 likes. Read it
#4 · Brené Brown, 4,883 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
4.7M | 4,883 | 13 | 33% | +1% | 0.10% |
Brené Brown, researcher and Dare to Lead author, sits just off the podium on a low publishing volume: 13 leadership posts at a third of her feed, earning essentially her overall median (a 1% premium). Her best post of the year is the launch of a reimagined leadership program, and it is the highest single-post like count in this entire top 20.
"It's time to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 26,636 likes. Read it
#3 · Mike Leber, 5,592 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
255k | 5,592 | 222 | 90% | +3% | 2.19% |
Mike Leber, a leadership coach from Austria, is the volume record of this ranking and the opposite of the strategy at the top: 222 leadership posts in 12 months, on a feed that is 90% leadership, the highest focus of the list. On a 255k audience he still holds a 2.19% engagement rate, and his card shows a rising median, 4,448 in 2025 to 6,074 across his 2026 posts.
"The worst boss you ever had might have been your greatest teacher. Pain educates fast. Just not in the way you expected." His most liked leadership post of the year: 13,372 likes. Read it
#2 · Dr. Brigette Hyacinth, 7,025 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
4.2M | 7,025 | 40 | 78% | +3% | 0.17% |
Dr. Brigette Hyacinth, founder of Leadership EQ, runs one of the most focused major feeds of the genre: 78% leadership on a 4.2 million audience. Her card shows a dip in recent posts, a 9,205 median in 2025 easing to 6,441 across her 2026 posts, but her three-year base keeps her second.
"A big-shout out to those leaders who make a lasting difference through humility, kindness, empathy, and integrity." Her most liked leadership post of the year: 15,940 likes. Read it
#1 · Adam Grant, 8,922 median likes per leadership post
Followers | Median likes (leadership posts) | Leadership posts (12 mo) | Share of feed | vs overall median | Engagement rate |
5.6M | 8,922 | 11 | 11% | -36% | 0.16% |
Adam Grant, the Wharton organizational psychologist and Think Again author, tops this ranking on the scarcest strategy of the list: 11 leadership posts in 12 months, just 11% of his feed. His median leadership post earns 8,922 likes, 1.3 times the #2 and 223 times the typical leadership post on LinkedIn. The nuance in his data: those leadership posts earn 36% less than his own overall median, the only negative premium in the top half. His general feed runs even hotter; leadership is the rare topic he writes least.
"Friendliness isn't always a sign of trustworthiness. Warmth is easy to fake. The foundations of trust are reliability and integrity." His most liked leadership post of the year: 21,006 likes. Read it
Where do these cards come from? Every figure on this page runs on MagicPost's LinkedIn analytics: median engagement per theme, share of feed, theme premiums, trajectories, across 1,024 leadership creators and 69,954 leadership posts. It works on your profile too, including a side-by-side with anyone on this list.
Just missed the cut
Five names land right behind, and they say a lot about how this ranking works. Jamie Dimond (#21, 2,506 median likes per leadership post), Elfried Samba (#22, 2,406) and Patrick Bet-David (#23, 2,371) miss the cut by a slim margin of median. Then comes Ankur Warikoo (#24, 1,999), one of the most followed business voices in India, excluded for a structural reason on a different axis: even with 2.6 million followers, his leadership posts (14% of his feed) sit just under the line. Dora Vanourek closes the list (#25, 1,973), and she shows the volume tax directly: 219 leadership posts in 12 months, a median that is merciless with pace, every extra post has to beat your typical one. Publish less, hit harder, and any of the five enters the top 20 at the next quarterly refresh.
The efficiency champions (pound for pound)
Raw likes favor big audiences, so here is the other cut: engagement rate on leadership posts, median likes divided by followers (minimum 20k followers). The list changes completely:
Creator | Followers | Engagement rate | Median likes (leadership) |
48k | 5.25% | 2,506 | |
21k | 4.76% | 981 | |
41k | 3.21% | 1,312 | |
99k | 2.98% | 2,948 | |
106k | 2.88% | 3,065 |
The champion is Jamie Dimond: one follower in 19 likes every leadership post he writes, well ahead of Vedant Purohit on a similar-size audience. Reese Witherspoon and Costas K. G. are the only two people in both the absolute top 20 and this efficiency top 5.
The volume game (total leadership engagement)
One more cut: not the typical post, but the total likes generated on leadership posts over 12 months. This is where the high-frequency voices get their due:
Creator | Total likes on leadership (12 mo) | Leadership posts |
1,229,720 | 222 | |
753,551 | 194 | |
652,077 | 280 | |
568,940 | 219 | |
490,808 | 149 | |
483,555 | 152 | |
474,671 | 74 | |
426,050 | 106 |
Mike Leber generates the most total engagement with 222 posts, the same volume that costs him on the median cut. Simon Sinek reaches nearly half a million total likes on a quarter of the post count, the efficiency of a giant audience.
The conversation champion
The ratio of comments to likes, the cut nobody publishes. The leadership record belongs to Okeowo Temiloluwa Emmanuel: 166 median comments against 119 median likes on his leadership posts, more than one comment per like when the platform norm is one per ten. Whatever he asks his audience, the comment section answers louder than the like button.
The residents and the tourists
Of the 1,024 creators who post leadership consistently, only 138 dedicate more than half their feed to it. This top 20 splits the same way: residents like Mike Leber (90% of his feed), Costas K. G. (81%) and Dr. Brigette Hyacinth (78%), and tourists like Justin Welsh (3%), Colby Kultgen (8%) and Mel Robbins (11%) whose rare leadership posts massively out-earn their usual content.
The data behind that tourist premium is consistent: an audience that did not sign up for leadership still rewards a clear leadership take, while full-time leadership feeds compete with themselves. Justin Welsh earns a 31% premium on 3% of his feed; Mel Robbins earns 62% on 11%. Meanwhile the deepest residents hover near a 0% premium because every post is the comparison. If you write about leadership occasionally, you are playing the easier game.
Two related studies while you are here: who dominates LinkedIn country by country (United States, India, the full series), and how the broader creator landscape stacks up. And if your plan includes showing up in these creators' comments, an engagement feed makes that a daily five-minute habit.
Study them, then study yourself. With MagicPost you can analyze any leadership creator the way we just did (median engagement by theme, share of feed, premiums, trajectory) and benchmark your own profile. The data on this page is the product.
Where this data comes from
Everything in this article is MagicPost's own research, not a copied list. MagicPost analyzed 69,954 leadership-themed LinkedIn posts from the last 12 months, kept the 1,024 creators with at least 10 leadership posts and 5,000 followers (deleted posts excluded, company pages excluded), and ranked them by median likes on their leadership posts. We also computed each creator's share of feed, their leadership premium versus their own overall median, engagement rates and conversation ratios. Rankings refresh as the data does; figures dated June 2026. No one paid to be on this list, and no one can: it is arithmetic.
FAQ
Who is the top leadership creator on LinkedIn in 2026?
By real impact (median likes on leadership posts over the last 12 months), Adam Grant: 8,922 median likes per leadership post, 1.3 times the number two (Dr. Brigette Hyacinth) and 223 times the typical leadership post on LinkedIn. He does it on just 11 leadership posts a year.
How is this ranking calculated?
Median likes on each creator's leadership-themed posts over the last 12 months, among the 1,024 creators MagicPost analyzes with at least 10 leadership posts and 5,000 followers. Median, not average, so one viral post cannot buy a spot, and only leadership posts count, so general fame cannot either.
Does posting about leadership boost engagement on LinkedIn?
It depends on who you are. The biggest premiums belong to "tourists" whose feed is mostly about something else: Mel Robbins earns 62% more on her leadership posts, Justin Welsh 31% on just 3% of his feed. Full-time leadership creators tend to sit near their own median because every post is the comparison. And the typical leadership post still earns just 40 likes: the topic rewards clarity, not participation.
Who are the most efficient leadership creators?
By engagement rate on leadership posts (median likes / followers, minimum 20k followers): Jamie Dimond (5.25%), ahead of Vedant Purohit (4.76%), Joshua Freedman (3.21%), Reese Witherspoon (2.98%) and Costas K. G. (2.88%).
Are the top leadership voices full-time leadership creators?
Mixed. Only 138 of the 1,024 eligible creators dedicate more than half their feed to leadership. The top 20 holds dedicated voices (Mike Leber at 90% of his feed, Costas K. G. at 81%, John C. Maxwell at 74%) right next to occasional ones (Justin Welsh at 3%, Colby Kultgen at 8%, Mel Robbins at 11%). The number one, Adam Grant, writes leadership the least of almost anyone here.
Which countries dominate leadership content on LinkedIn?
Ten of this top 20 are based in the United States, with India placing two (Ghazal Alagh, Kunal Shah) and Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Austria, Greece and Trinidad and Tobago one each. Country-by-country rankings are in our country series.
</content>
</invoke>
The Top LinkedIn Creators to Study in 2026 (By the Data)
The top LinkedIn creators to study in 2026, by the data: 62 creators, 6 languages, 27 countries, 32,000 posts analyzed by MagicPost. Grouped by lesson.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Marketing in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Marketing in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Adam Grant leads; MagicPost data on 944 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Entrepreneurship in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Entrepreneurship in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Sara Blakely leads; MagicPost data on 571 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Sales in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Sales in 2026, ranked by median likes on their sales posts, not by fame. Alex Hormozi leads; MagicPost data on 530 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Management in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Management in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Carsten Maschmeyer leads; MagicPost data on 450 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Psychology in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Psychology in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Adam Grant leads; MagicPost data on 394 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Coaching in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Coaching in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Dora Vanourek leads; MagicPost data on 370 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Finance in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Finance in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Tejaswee Tripathy leads; MagicPost data on 327 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Social Media in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Social Media in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Jasmin Alić leads; MagicPost data on 327 creators.
Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Career Development in 2026, Ranked by Real Impact
The top 20 LinkedIn creators on Career Development in 2026, ranked by median likes on theme posts alone. Dora Vanourek leads; MagicPost data on 239 creators.