Articles / Leadership YouTube Videos: The Best Talks for Developing Your Skills
Development, Training & CoachingDiscover the best leadership YouTube videos. From Simon Sinek to Brené Brown, explore TED talks and content that will transform your leadership approach.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Wed 31st December 2025
Leadership YouTube videos provide accessible, high-quality development content from the world's most influential thought leaders—offering insights on everything from inspiring action to embracing vulnerability that can transform your leadership approach in the time it takes to watch a single presentation. The democratisation of leadership education through platforms like YouTube and TED has made world-class thinking available to anyone with an internet connection.
The numbers speak volumes. Simon Sinek's TED talk "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" has amassed over 67 million views on the TED site alone, making it one of the most-watched presentations in history. Brené Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability" similarly revolutionised how leaders think about authenticity and connection. Together, Brown and Sinek's TED talks have exceeded 160 million views—evidence that leaders worldwide hunger for insights they can apply immediately.
This curated guide examines the most impactful leadership videos available online, organised by theme and learning objective. Whether you're a new manager seeking foundational wisdom or an experienced executive looking for fresh perspectives, these resources offer concentrated insight from thinkers who have shaped contemporary leadership practice.
TED talks have become a primary source of leadership insight for professionals worldwide.
This 2009 presentation launched a movement and remains essential viewing for any leader:
The Core Concept
Sinek's "Golden Circle" model reveals that exceptional leaders and organisations start with "why" before addressing "how" and "what." Most organisations communicate from the outside in—describing what they do, then how they do it, rarely addressing why. Inspiring leaders reverse this pattern.
Key Insights
Why It Matters
With over 67 million views, this talk has influenced how organisations approach vision, communication, and employee engagement. Sinek's framework provides practical application for any leader seeking to inspire rather than merely direct.
Brown's 2010 talk established vulnerability as essential leadership capability:
The Research Foundation
As a research professor at the University of Houston, Brown spent years studying courage, shame, and empathy. Her findings challenged conventional leadership wisdom that equated strength with invulnerability.
Core Message
Vulnerability is "the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change." Leaders who demonstrate authentic vulnerability—acknowledging uncertainty, admitting mistakes, showing genuine emotion—create environments where others feel safe to contribute fully.
The Courage Connection
Brown's research revealed that courageous leaders feel worthy and desire to tell the story of who they are with their whole heart. The courage to be imperfect allows people to face challenges, be vulnerable, and grow into better versions of themselves.
| Speaker | Talk Title | Views | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Sinek | How Great Leaders Inspire Action | 67M+ | Purpose and vision |
| Brené Brown | The Power of Vulnerability | 60M+ | Authenticity and courage |
| Simon Sinek | Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe | 18M+ | Trust and belonging |
| Amy Cuddy | Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are | 70M+ | Presence and confidence |
| Dan Pink | The Puzzle of Motivation | 30M+ | Intrinsic motivation |
Creating psychological safety has emerged as crucial leadership capability.
The Military Insight
Sinek observes that "in the military they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain. In business we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain." This contrast illuminates what distinguishes exceptional leadership.
The Safety Imperative
Great leaders create environments where people feel safe—safe to take risks, raise concerns, admit mistakes, and bring their full selves to work. This psychological safety enables the trust and cooperation that high performance requires.
Practical Applications
The Research
Harvard professor Amy Edmondson's work on psychological safety has transformed how organisations think about team effectiveness. Her research shows that the best teams don't make fewer mistakes—they report more, enabling learning and improvement.
Key Principles
"The Danger of Hiding Who You Are" - Morgana Bailey's powerful talk on authenticity and belonging in the workplace.
"Everyday Leadership" - Drew Dudley's perspective on how small acts of leadership create significant impact.
Understanding what truly motivates people transforms leadership effectiveness.
The Surprising Science
Pink's presentation challenges conventional wisdom about motivation. Drawing on decades of research, he demonstrates that traditional reward-and-punishment approaches often undermine performance on complex tasks requiring creativity.
The Three Drivers
Leadership Implications
Leaders who understand intrinsic motivation design work environments that provide autonomy, enable mastery, and connect effort to meaningful purpose. External rewards have their place but cannot substitute for these deeper drivers.
The Happiness Advantage
Positive psychology researcher Shawn Achor demonstrates that success doesn't lead to happiness—happiness leads to success. Leaders who cultivate positive environments unlock performance that stress-based management never achieves.
Practical Habits
| Video | Key Insight | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Pink - The Puzzle of Motivation | Intrinsic motivation outperforms extrinsic for complex work | Design for autonomy, mastery, purpose |
| Shawn Achor - Happy Secret | Happiness precedes success | Cultivate positive environments |
| Teresa Amabile - Track Your Small Wins | Progress is the primary motivator | Create visible progress markers |
Effective communication distinguishes great leaders from merely competent ones.
The HAIL Framework
Treasure presents four cornerstones of powerful speech:
The Seven Deadly Sins of Speaking
Voice as Instrument
Leaders can use their voice more effectively by varying register, timbre, prosody (rhythm), pace, pitch, and volume. These elements significantly impact how messages are received.
Key Principles
The Shape of Stories
Presentation expert Nancy Duarte analysed history's greatest speeches and discovered a common structure: movement between "what is" and "what could be." This contrast creates tension that maintains attention and motivates action.
Application for Leaders
Leading change requires specific capabilities and approaches.
The Harvard Perspective
Harvard Business School professor Kanter identifies what distinguishes successful change initiatives:
The Military Transformation
General McChrystal describes how he transformed his leadership approach from commanding to listening. In complex, rapidly changing environments, the leader's job shifts from directing to enabling.
Key Insights
Additional Recommended Viewing
Maximising value from leadership videos requires deliberate approach.
Before Watching
During Watching
After Watching
Foundational Sequence
Time Investment
Most TED talks run 15-20 minutes. A structured approach—one video per week with reflection and application—creates sustainable development without overwhelming schedules.
The best leadership videos include Simon Sinek's "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" (67M+ views), Brené Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability" (60M+ views), Dan Pink's "The Puzzle of Motivation," and Amy Cuddy's presentation on body language and presence. TED's curated playlist "How to Be a Great Leader" provides additional quality selections across leadership dimensions.
TED talks offer concentrated insight from world-class thinkers in accessible formats, making them excellent leadership development resources. Their 15-20 minute length enables learning without significant time investment. Combined with reflection and application planning, TED talks provide foundational concepts that more detailed study can expand. They're particularly valuable for introducing new ideas and frameworks.
Simon Sinek's "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" is his most popular video with over 67 million views on the TED platform. The presentation introduces his "Golden Circle" model explaining why some leaders and organisations inspire action while others don't. His talks have collectively reached over 100 million people worldwide.
Brené Brown's research demonstrates that vulnerability is "the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change." Her work shows that leaders who embrace vulnerability—acknowledging uncertainty, admitting mistakes, showing authentic emotion—create environments where others feel safe contributing fully. Her books "Dare to Lead" and "The Gifts of Imperfection" expand these themes.
Learn leadership skills from videos by: watching actively with note-taking; identifying one specific application from each video; reflecting on how concepts apply to your context; sharing insights with colleagues for accountability; building a structured curriculum addressing different leadership dimensions; and following up with deeper reading on resonant topics.
New managers should start with: Simon Sinek's "How Great Leaders Inspire Action" (understanding purpose), Brené Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability" (building authentic connection), Roselinde Torres's "What It Takes to Be a Great Leader" (modern leadership requirements), and Dan Pink's "The Puzzle of Motivation" (understanding what drives performance).
Most TED talks run between 15-20 minutes, with the standard format being 18 minutes or less. This length provides sufficient depth for meaningful insight whilst remaining accessible for busy professionals. Some talks, particularly TEDx presentations, may vary slightly in length.
Leadership development once required expensive programmes, travel, and significant time away from work. YouTube and TED have democratised access to world-class thinking, making foundational leadership concepts available to anyone willing to invest attention.
The speakers featured here—Sinek, Brown, Pink, Edmondson, and others—have shaped how a generation of leaders thinks about purpose, vulnerability, motivation, and change. Their presentations distil years of research and experience into formats digestible in a lunch break or commute.
Yet watching alone doesn't develop capability. The leaders who benefit most from these resources approach them actively—taking notes, reflecting on application, sharing insights, and building structured development journeys from individual videos. They treat accessible content with the same seriousness they'd bring to formal programmes.
The best leadership videos don't just inform—they challenge assumptions and inspire change. Sinek's "Start with Why" prompts leaders to examine their purpose. Brown's vulnerability research challenges those who equate strength with invincibility. Pink's motivation science overturns reward-and-punishment assumptions many leaders still hold.
For those beginning leadership development journeys or experienced leaders seeking fresh perspectives, these resources offer extraordinary value. The investment is time and attention. The return is insight from thinkers who have influenced millions of leaders worldwide.
Your development awaits—one video at a time.