In the Innovating Leadership, Co-creating Our Future interview this week, Maureen was joined by Sean Castrina, entrepreneur, podcast host, and author. In his interview, which airs Tuesday, June 22nd and is titled Mindset Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle, he and Maureen discuss Sean’s story and how he overcame setbacks, leadership lessons, and making the big change. This article is a guest post from Matthew Channel of TSE and is a companion to Sean’s interview as we look at the most quoted leaders in all the world, the UK and the USA.
TSW (Training Services Wales) has conducted a study to find out which leaders and inspirational people are the most influential for helping us find that extra motivation to achieve greatness, whether it be leading a brand-new team or finishing a difficult task, by analyzing Google search data.
The leadership development training provider analyzed over 100 of the most influential leaders in history to reveal the most sought-after leadership quotes of all time.
| Top Names Featured | Overall Score | Amount of World Countries in Top 3 | Points for the Number of Times Appeared in the Top 3 | Global Google Search Volume | Points for Global Search Volume |
| Albert Einstein | 322 | 31 | 200 | 65000 | 122 |
| Nelson Mandela | 279 | 25 | 165 | 43000 | 114 |
| Buddha | 263.5 | 19 | 137.5 | 154000 | 126 |
| Rumi | 251.5 | 18 | 127.5 | 102000 | 124 |
| Steve Jobs | 218.5 | 15 | 112.5 | 34000 | 106 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 214 | 17 | 105 | 36000 | 109 |
| Bob Marley | 202.5 | 14 | 87.5 | 44000 | 115 |
| Oscar Wilde | 191.5 | 11 | 77.5 | 43000 | 114 |
| William Shakespeare | 188 | 17 | 100 | 17000 | 88 |
| Martin Luther King | 187 | 12 | 70 | 48000 | 117 |
#1 Universally recognized as the greatest physician of all time, Albert Einstein developed the theory of relatively. His ground-breaking discoveries and theories have not just widely influenced modern physics and cosmology, but the born leaders in us all.
Albert Einstein’s leadership quotes are the most searched for above all others in the world. Regardless of your background, culture, knowledge or values, Einstein’s influence has no limits. His leadership quote below is one in particular that we can take great inspiration from when faced with a complex challenge:
“The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… Out of discord, harmony… And out of difficult, opportunity.”
#2. In second place is former South African president Nelson Mandela.
He achieved many great things during his life, but his most well-known is successfully leading the resistance to South Africa’s policy of apartheid in the 20th century, during which he was infamously imprisoned at Robben Island. One quote that truly inspires us when talking about leading teams is:
“If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important – and you do that by being genuine and humble.”
#3. In third we find Guatama Buddha, revered as the founder of the religion Buddhism. As a philosopher, meditator and spiritual teacher who lived in ancient India, he still inspires millions of people around the globe, regardless of creed, culture, or religion.
Perhaps this quote is one in which we can find true value, harmony, mindfulness and peace – necessary factors in becoming a better leader:
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
The UK’s Most Searched for Leaders
| # | Inspirational Leader | Total |
| 1 | Winston Churchill | 15,030 |
| 2 | William Shakespeare | 11,260 |
| 3 | Albert Einstein | 9,210 |
| 4 | Martin Luther King | 8,410 |
| 5 | Maya Angelou | 7,110 |
| 6 | Buddha | 6,610 |
| 7 | Nelson Mandela | 5,790 |
| 8 | Malcolm X | 5,610 |
| 9 | Joker | 5,500 |
| 10 | Yoda | 5,405 |
In the UK, Brits use Winston Churchill’s quotes as the most inspiring when looking for good leadership and motivation.
The former Prime Minister who led us to victory in World War 2 is one of the most well-known and influential leaders in history, and it’s clear that us Brits still hold him in the highest regard. Just some of his best leadership traits included bravery, courageousness and perseverance.
His quote on courage can relate to us all:
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Matthew Channell, Director at TSW says: “During these difficult times, quotes can be especially helpful for finding inspiration or motivation to tackle a challenge head on and develop into a great leader. They are generally short, sharp and straight to the point, which helps keep us maintain focus in times of crisis or times of need. They are also one of the most shared items online, which proves how much we love them!”
“Quotes help us understand, inspire, motivate, clarify and show our approach to things around, this is why people and I love quotes.” — Takyou Allah Cheikh Malaynine
The USA’s Most Searched for Leaders
| # | Inspirational Leader | Total |
| 1 | Maya Angelou | 48,060 |
| 2 | Albert Einstein | 43,030 |
| 3 | Malcolm X | 37,000 |
| 4 | Winston Churchill | 31,150 |
| 5 | Mark Twain | 29,020 |
| 6 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg | 29,000 |
| 7 | Donald Trump | 28,300 |
| 8 | Dr. Seuss | 28,040 |
| 9 | William Shakespeare | 27,030 |
| 10 | Yoda | 27,010 |
Methodology
We started by sourcing a list of the most inspirational leaders from analyzing the number of monthly Google searches for “leadership quotes” firstly, and “quotes” second in each country in the world, using data from ahrefs keyword planner.
We then ranked the top 126 most searched “leaders + quotes” based on the number of searches and the number of times they appeared in 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each country, using a unique scoring index to give each a combined total score.
When looking at UK and US lists, we sourced the most inspirational leaders using ahrefs keyword planner and combined search volumes of {name/surname} + {“leadership quotes”/”quotes”}
*Some keywords/leaders were removed or not considered as they were deemed inappropriate or inaccurate to the intent of the research.
*Not all countries were included, due to null data.
You can view the full research here: https://www.tsw.co.uk/blog/leadership-and-management/most-searched-for-leader-quotes/
To become a more innovative leader, you can begin by taking our free leadership assessments and then enrolling in our online leadership development program.
Check out the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership, Co-creating Our Future, via iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One. Stay up-to-date on new shows airing by following the Innovative Leadership Institute LinkedIn.
About the Author
Matthew Channell, Director at TSW Training and Non-Executive Director helping businesses to grow through their people.
Photo by Taton Moïse on Unsplash
