Polly LaBarre and the future of organizational change
Polly LaBarre’s work sits at the intersection of leadership, innovation, and human potential. In an era defined by constant disruption, she helps organizations understand how to change how they change. Her focus is not on short-term fixes, but on building the enduring capabilities that allow organizations to adapt again and again. Polly brings a sharp lens to the forces reshaping work and leadership, offering leaders new ways to respond creatively rather than defensively.
At the heart of her work are three essential questions: how organizations can support human flourishing, how leaders can cultivate the audacity of imagination needed to solve hard problems, and how individuals and institutions can become endlessly resilient. These questions shape every keynote, workshop, and experiment she leads.
Book Polly LaBarre for your event
When you book Polly LaBarre for your event, you invite your audience into a conversation about what leadership must become. Her keynotes resonate with senior executives, emerging leaders, and change-makers alike because she speaks to real challenges people face inside complex organizations. Polly combines big ideas with practical frameworks, helping audiences move from insight to action.
She is known for delivering high-energy, thoughtful presentations that provoke reflection while sparking momentum. Whether addressing large global conferences or intimate leadership gatherings, Polly adapts her message to meet the moment and the audience.
Co-founder of Management Lab and management innovator
As co-founder of the Management Lab, alongside Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini, Polly spent a decade developing new methodologies and tools to accelerate organizational change. Through large-scale experiments in “hacking management,” she helped leaders inside major organizations challenge outdated practices and build more adaptive systems. This work engaged a global community of more than 35,000 management innovators, all committed to reinventing how organizations operate.
This hands-on experience gives Polly a rare perspective. She does not speak about change from theory alone, but from years of experimentation inside real organizations wrestling with real constraints.
Bestselling author and Fast Company founding team
Polly is co-author of the bestselling book Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win, named a Book of the Year by The Economist and recognized as a pivotal work on modern management. The book captures her long-standing fascination with unconventional leaders and organizations that outperform by thinking differently.
Earlier in her career, Polly was part of the founding team of Fast Company, where she played a central role in redefining how people think about work, leadership, and success. That experience shaped her voice as a storyteller and thinker who can translate complex ideas into compelling narratives.
A global speaker and trusted voice
A sought-after keynote speaker, moderator, and interviewer, Polly LaBarre has delivered hundreds of talks around the world. Her insights have appeared in Fast Company, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, McKinsey Quarterly, and The Huffington Post. She has also appeared frequently on CNBC, PBS, Good Morning America, and the Today Show, and served as a business and innovation correspondent for CNN.
Beyond the stage, Polly is deeply engaged in community and creative life. She serves on the board of CitySeed, supporting a just and healthy food system in New Haven, Connecticut. A Yale University graduate, she lives with her family in New Haven, where she is also an avid gardener, cook, and devoted yogi.
Book Polly LaBarre for your event if you want a speaker who challenges assumptions, energizes leaders, and helps organizations build the imagination and resilience needed for the future.
