Non-binding request for Gorick Ng
Gorick Ng
Wall Street Journal bestselling author helping professionals master the unspoken rules of career success and leadership.
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Why you should book Gorick Ng for your next event
- Learn the practical, unspoken rules that help professionals navigate careers, earn trust and accelerate into leadership roles.
- Gain research-backed insights drawn from more than 500 interviews across industries, job functions and countries.
- Equip employees, managers and emerging leaders with practical strategies already used by global organisations and leading universities.
Non-binding request for Gorick Ng
Wall Street Journal bestselling author, career adviser and expert on the unspoken rules of career success.
Success at work is rarely determined by technical skills alone. The biggest career opportunities come from understanding the expectations that are never formally explained. Wall Street Journal bestselling author Gorick Ng has dedicated his career to uncovering these hidden rules and helping professionals succeed. Combining research, coaching, and real-world experience, he delivers practical strategies for workplace success, career development, and inclusive leadership. His work has influenced companies, universities, and leadership programmes worldwide. Whether speaking to graduates, managers, or executives, Gorick equips audiences with actionable insights they can apply immediately.
Book Gorick Ng for your event
Gorick Ng is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, career adviser and internationally recognised expert on career navigation, leadership development and workplace success. His work helps professionals understand the unwritten expectations that shape careers, empowering them to perform at a higher level, build stronger relationships and create long-term opportunities.
His bestselling book, The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right, was published by Harvard Business Review Press and recognised by Thinkers50 as one of the Top 10 Management Books of 2022. Based on more than 500 interviews with professionals across industries, countries and job functions, the book offers practical guidance on navigating the workplace, particularly for professionals from underrepresented backgrounds seeking to advance into leadership positions.
Why Gorick Ng's insights resonate
Many organisations invest heavily in developing technical expertise, yet career progression often depends on understanding workplace dynamics that are rarely discussed openly. Gorick brings these invisible expectations into the open, giving audiences practical frameworks they can immediately apply.
His presentations combine research, personal experience and practical examples to explain how professionals can:
- Build credibility from day one
- Strengthen relationships with managers and colleagues
- Communicate with greater confidence
- Navigate workplace expectations
- Position themselves for long-term career growth
- Support more inclusive and equitable career development
His sessions are equally valuable for individual contributors, managers, leadership teams and organisations committed to developing diverse talent.
The author behind The Unspoken Rules
The Unspoken Rules has become an influential resource for organisations, educational institutions and leadership programmes around the world. The book has received endorsements from respected business leaders and authors including Arianna Huffington, Cal Newport, David Carey, Edith Cooper, Ginni Rometty, Julie Zhuo, Rich Lesser and Ratan Tata.
Its impact extends well beyond individual readers. Organisations including Aon, GE, IBM, Kirkland & Ellis, Charles River Associates, Abiomed and Invesco use the book for employee development, manager training and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Leading educational and leadership programmes including QuestBridge, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America, Rewriting the Code, ACE Women's Collective, SEO and Africa.com have also incorporated the book into their learning programmes. Harvard Business School has even provided the book to every MBA student to help prepare graduates for today's competitive labour market.
This broad adoption reflects the practical value of Gorick's research and his ability to translate complex workplace dynamics into clear, actionable guidance.
Academic expertise and real-world experience
Alongside his speaking and writing, Gorick serves as a career adviser at Harvard College, where he specialises in coaching first-generation and low-income students as they prepare for professional careers. He is also on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, teaching students how to navigate the unspoken rules of career success.
Before focusing on research, writing and education, Gorick built experience across several highly competitive industries. He worked in management consulting at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), investment banking at Credit Suisse and contributed to the Managing the Future of Work project at Harvard Business School.
This combination of academic research and practical business experience allows him to connect with audiences ranging from students and early-career professionals to senior executives and organisational leaders.
A recognised voice on the future of work
Gorick's work has attracted international media attention and has been featured in Forbes, The Today Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, New York Post, Fast Company, Fortune Magazine and CNBC.
In 2022, Thinkers50 named him one of its 30 Thinkers to Watch, recognising his growing influence in management thinking and leadership development.
His research continues to shape conversations around workplace success, career progression and creating opportunities for talent from every background.
Book Gorick Ng for an inspiring keynote
Gorick Ng delivers engaging, research-driven keynotes that leave audiences with practical strategies they can implement immediately. His presentations help professionals at every stage of their careers understand the invisible dynamics that influence success while giving organisations tools to develop stronger leaders, more effective managers and more inclusive workplaces.
As a first-generation college student who went on to graduate from both Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Gorick brings a personal perspective that complements his research and professional expertise. His ability to translate complex workplace challenges into practical advice makes his keynotes relevant, inspiring and highly actionable.
Whether your audience consists of graduates entering the workforce, high-potential employees, managers, leadership teams or organisations investing in talent development, booking Gorick Ng provides valuable insights into career growth, leadership development and the unspoken rules that shape professional success.
Customer Reviews
5 of 5
“Gorick’s fireside chat on his book, The Unspoken Rules, was compelling from start to finish! He managed to engage 230 attendees across Google as part of our Asian Googler's Network (AGN). Attendees stayed 20 minutes afterwars (and would have stayed longer) to ask their questions. I even saw attendees take notes while Gorick was speaking. Gorick has a way of bringing frameworks to life with compelling stories and personal analogies. Even though the event was virtual, it felt as though we were all in the same room as him.”
Lynn Xie, YouTube Product PartnershipsGoogle
5 of 5
“Gorick presented his outstanding tips and frameworks for navigating a new job or summer internship to our college students and recent alumni. He clearly took a lot of time and energy to prepare deeply meaningful content for these presentations, and we received enormous praise from the participants. One student said: 'I learned more from Gorick than from the entire Career Advancement Office at my school.' Many others also told us how appreciative they were of his insights, how useful the takeaways were, and how much they looked forward to reading his book, or attending another session like this. In addition to graciously staying on for an extra 30 minutes to answer questions, he made the presentation especially personal and it resonated with our students and alums, many of whom are first-generation college students/grads. I'm hoping to work with Gorick on future events like this!”
Grace Sun, Director, Alumni ProgramsQuestBridge
5 of 5
“Gorick's webinar on career management and professional development was extremely well-received by Cigna employees—so well that 100+ people stayed online to chat with him 40 minutes after the scheduled session ended. A skillful and authentic presenter, Gorick was able to quickly engage and captivate the audience using relatable stories. He then used easy-to-understand diagrams and frameworks to present several insightful and practical career tips. One Senior Director-level participant said in the Q&A that she wish she had heard these professional development strategies 20 years ago. I highly recommend Gorick's work to professionals looking to accelerate their career growth and to companies looking to nurture future leaders.”
Victor Zhao, Virtual Care Product ManagerCigna
5 of 5
“Gorick’s workshop to our summer intern class on The Unspoken Rules was excellent! He has a way of connecting with the audience and creating a safe space for questions and discussion. The knowledge and experience he shared was so valuable to our interns for their summer internship and well into their careers. The book resonates with those beyond their early careers as well, as a great reminder of development areas for lifelong growth and learning. I look forward to working with Gorick again!”
Julie Cusker, HR professionalInvesco
5 of 5
"Gorick's impact on the IBM community has been phenomenal. His work of art "The Unspoken Rules" breaks down the need to know information, for any professional level. IBMers love the book and Gorick’s events are always well attended and receive amazing feedback. Gorick has joined IBM on 3 different occasions and we just keep asking him to come back. If you are looking for a relatable, high-energy and authentic approach to leadership development, look no further. "
Sophia Dozier, Diversity and Inclusion LeaderIBM
Rated 5.00/5 based on 5 customer reviews
Keynotes
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
Whispers From the Front Lines: What Firms Need to Know About Engaging the AI-Native Generation
For HR, talent leadership, and senior management.
We are entering an era where junior talent can work faster than ever, but feel less connected to their work than ever before.
How do you build a culture of excellence when the "entry-level" is being redefined by AI? Gorick bridges the gap between how leadership thinks work is being done and how early career talent is actually doing it.
This session provides a rare look at the new talent lifecycle and offers a roadmap for turning AI-natives into your firm's most loyal high-performers.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
Think Like an Outsider (And How to Bring This Mindset Back to Shape Innovation in Your Company)
For middle managers, senior leaders, executive leadership, and founders.
We’ve entered an era where twenty-something college dropouts are coding their way to billion-dollar startups that are disrupting entire industries.
How can established players compete in the face of technological disruption and constant change?
Through compelling storytelling and practical frameworks, UC Berkeley faculty Gorick Ng deconstructs how everyone in all levels of in an organization can “think like an outsider” and innovate like the best.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How to Manage Up, Down, and All Around
For people leaders.
People don’t leave companies; they leave managers. Unfortunately, the vast majority of managers get zero training, leading to management through trial and error.
In this session, Gorick shares the most common frustrations managers have towards their teams—and how tiny tweaks in one’s management approach can help people leaders help others help themselves.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How to Reach “Level 7 Ownership”
For all audiences (especially individual contributors).
What separates star performers from the rest?
An ownership mindset. In this session, Gorick demystifies what ownership looks like and sounds like, from “level 1” (how school conditions us to behave) to “level 7” (what star performers do subconsciously) in some of the most common scenarios at work, from asking for help to managing projects.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How to Succeed in a New Internship or Job
For students + interns + early career professionals.
Hard skills get you hired, but a lack of soft skills gets you fired.
In this workshop, Gorick shows how little things in your first day, week, month, and year can make a big difference in the trajectory of your career.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How to Take Control Of Your Career
For all audiences (especially individual contributors).
If you want it, you have to strive for it. If what you want doesn’t exist, you have to create it. If you aren’t sure you can have it, you have to ask for it.
In this session, Gorick shares strategies for how to take your career development into your own hands.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Sooner: Reflections From a First-Gen Professional
For talent from underrepresented backgrounds and members of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups).
Who are the high performers at your work? Chances are, you're thinking of people who grew up with family or mentors in the white-collar world. How can all of your employees thrive, not just survive?
In this session, Gorick shares the tacit-but-not-talked-about career tips he learned as the son of a working-class single mom.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How to Make the Most of Higher Education: Reflections from a First-Gen, Low-Income College Grad
For first-gen college students, low-income students, and other non-traditional students.
Look around your campus. Who are your most engaged students? Chances are, the students you are thinking of have family and mentors with a college or advanced degree. How can all of your students persist, graduate, and succeed?
In this session, Gorick shares his experiences as a first-gen college student, first-gen MBA, and Harvard career advisor, how he came to navigate the unspoken rules, and the tips he learned along the way.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
How Your Work Changes Lives: Reflections From a Grateful First-Gen College Grad Turned First-Gen Professional
For higher-ed faculty and administrators.
Your work as a higher education professional is more important than ever as our campuses grow more diverse, with more non-traditional students and students who are the first in their families to pursue a college degree.
In this session, Gorick shares how higher education changed his life as the son of a working-class single mother and offers strategies for faculty and staff to make the “magic” of higher education accessible, empowering students to take charge of their futures.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
From Mindshare to Market Share: Lessons from Bestselling Authors
For CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, authors, and sales and marketing executives.
It’s time to throw out the old playbook for how to build, sell, and market your business if you want to stay competitive in the age of AI and social media.
Mastering SEO is no longer enough—you also need to master AEO and GEO. Doing traditional PR is no longer enough—you need authentic user-generated content, not to mention an audience.
To build market share, you need mind share. In this keynote, Gorick Ng draws from his own experience launching a Wall Street Journal bestseller and successful Kickstarter campaign and deconstructs the unspoken rules that bestselling authors, content creators, and business builders have used to build their brands using the latest tools and tactics.
Keynote by Gorick Ng:
Fireside Chat/Facilitated Q+A
For all audiences.
Have a firm representative facilitate a 60-min live Q&A with Gorick on topics of your choosing. And / or, have Gorick design and moderate a panel with senior leaders of your firm along a theme of your choosing (e.g., how to navigate the unspoken rules of the workplace).
How to get your first job after college | Gorick Ng | Harvard Law School
Watch Gorick Ng in action
Books by Gorick Ng
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The Unspoken RulesSecrets to Starting Your Career Off RightBy Gorick Ng
