Organizational Psychologist & Leadership Development Expert; Emeritus Professor at Wharton School; Author of "Total Leadership"; Thinkers50 Hall of Fame Inductee
Stewart Friedman Biography
Stewart D. Friedman is an organizational psychologist and emeritus professor of management practice at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Friedman became the Management Department's first practice professor, recognized for applying theory and research to organizational challenges. As founding director of the Wharton Leadership Program and Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project, he initiated the university's required MBA and undergraduate leadership courses and established a foundation for the study of leadership development, work-life integration, and organizational psychology.
Friedman's experience spans both academia and the corporate sector. During a leave from Wharton, he served as the senior executive responsible for leadership development at Ford Motor Company, overseeing a 50-person, $25 million operation. In partnership with the CEO, he launched initiatives to transform Ford's culture, reaching more than 2,500 managers annually. During this period, Friedman developed the Total Leadership framework, a methodology centered on achieving "four-way wins"—improving performance and well-being across work, home, community, and self. This program has been adopted by individuals and organizations globally and was the primary intervention in a multi-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health focused on advancing the careers and lives of women in academic medicine.
Friedman is the author of several books, including "Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life," which appeared on the USA Today bestseller list and won the CEO READ Best Business Book Award. "Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life" became a Wall Street Journal bestseller, and "Baby Bust: New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family" examined shifting attitudes toward work and family among Wharton students across two generations. His book "Work and Family — Allies or Enemies?" was recognized by The Wall Street Journal as a leading work in the field. Friedman has contributed more than 50 articles to HBR.org, with one piece listed among Harvard Business Review's "Ideas that Shaped Management."
Friedman's Total Leadership course on Coursera enrolled more than 135,000 students, ranking among the top online courses at Penn. He hosts the "Work and Life with Stew Friedman" podcast, originally broadcast on SiriusXM's Wharton Business Radio, and has served as a public policy advisor to the U.S. Departments of Labor and State, the United Nations, and two White House administrations. Friedman has also advised executives and public figures, including former Vice President Al Gore.
Friedman has been recognized by the Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers, receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award and induction into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame. He has been named among HR Magazine's Most Influential International Thinkers, selected by Working Mother as one of America's 25 most influential men for contributions to working parents, and presented with the Families and Work Institute's Work Life Legacy Award. The New York Times has noted the strong following he inspires among students, reflecting his ability to translate research in leadership, organizational behavior, and work-life integration into practical strategies for individuals and organizations.
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Stewart Friedman Speaking Topics
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Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life
Life is a zero-sum game, right? The more we strive to win in one dimension (such as our work), the more we sacrifice performance and satisfaction in the other three: family, community, and private self. Not true, says Stew Friedman. Drawing on decades of research, teaching, and practice in many organizations around the world – detailed in his best-selling book “Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life” – Friedman persuasively shows us how we don’t have to make trade-offs between life’s most important domains, and certainly not as often as we think. A trade-off mindset makes people feel all manner of painful emotions; it hurts those we care about most, and it prevents us from leading and performing effectively in every part of life. Friedman provides a proven blueprint for becoming a more successful leader in all four domains of life: work, home, community and self (mind, body and spirit).
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Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life
You might be skeptical, but you can create harmony between work and the rest of life, says Stew Friedman. Building on his best-selling “Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life” and on decades of research, teaching and practice as both consultant and senior executive, Friedman describes the skills needed to do so, and illustrates them with riveting original stories of exemplars of great achievement and impact, including Sheryl Sandberg, Michelle Obama and Bruce Springsteen.
Friedman’s stories paint vivid pictures of the ways these very different leaders act with authenticity, integrity, and creativity – and they prove that significant professional or public success is accomplished not at the expense of the rest of life, but as the result of meaningful attachments to all its disparate parts. The good news, says Friedman, is that anyone can practice and hone these skills. Drawing from another best-seller, “Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life,” he provides evidence-based exercises for how cultivate them and offers practical insights that will inspire, inform, and instruct attendees on how to take realistic steps now toward leading the life you truly want, just as it has for employees at Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, Warby Parker, Google and many other organizations.
Stewart Friedman Videos
Professor Stew Friedman on Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader ...
Stewart Friedman, Practice Professor of Management, spoke to alumni in San Francisco as part of the Wharton Knowledge for Action Lifelong Learning...
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How do I book Stewart Friedman to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Stewart Friedman for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Stewart Friedman, 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 Stewart Friedman or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Stewart Friedman
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What topics does Stewart Friedman speak about?
Stewart Friedman is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, Business, Business Leadership, Change Management, Corporate Culture, Disruptive Thinking, Executive Leadership, Family & Parenting, Human Resources, Leadership, Strategic Leadership, Thought Leadership, Women in Business, Work-Life Balance -
Where does Stewart Friedman travel from?
Stewart Friedman generally travels from Philadelphia, PA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Stewart Friedman’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Stewart Friedman 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 Availability 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 Stewart Friedman for your next private or corporate function. -
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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 Stewart Friedman 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. -
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Stewart Friedman is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life, Leading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life, New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family, Enhancing Your Reputation by Building Social Capital, Change Management and Management. The estimated speaking fee range to book Stewart Friedman for your event is available upon request. Stewart Friedman generally travels from Philadelphia, PA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Roger Martin, Nitin Nohria, Andrew Winston, Mark C. Thompson and Mark Sanborn. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Stewart Friedman for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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