Dec 19, 2025
Five Ideas From Top Women Speakers for 2026
Women thought leaders led the way in 2025. Experts in artificial intelligence, leadership, motivation, customer service, and corporate culture, these women are mapping the path to business success in 2026.
At BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, we work with some of the Top Women Keynote Speakers in the industry. Below are five ideas that could help your business thrive in 2026.
1) “The fastest way to get customers to love your company is to get employees to love their job.”
According to Tiffani Bova, the Chief Strategy and Research Officer of the Futurum Group and former Global Customer Growth and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce, there is a crucial link between your employees’ satisfaction at work and your customers’ experience with your business.
Tiffani points out that happier employees are more engaged and motivated and more likely to go the extra mile to build rapport with customers. This “virtuous” cycle ultimately leads to increased profitability and market share. So, in 2026, prioritizing your employees’ happiness could be the key to your company’s continued success.
2) “Stop focusing on what you can get from others; focus on what you can give.”
According to Molly Bloom, bestselling author of Molly’s Game (made into an Oscar-nominated movie by Aaron Sorkin), personal and business success depend on building genuine, long-term relationships through authenticity and “affective presence.”
Affective presence is the science of influencing people’s feelings. It’s your ability to make others feel valued and seen. In 2026, Molly suggests you solve problems proactively, prioritize your customers’ safety and comfort, and focus on building real relationships.
3) “The companies that will thrive in this era of disruption will be those that transform their middle management from a burnout risk into an innovation advantage.”
According to Wema Hoover, a global executive advisor and certified executive coach with over 20 years of experience, middle managers are experiencing high levels of dissatisfaction and burnout.
Moreover, recent KPMG data reveals nearly one-third of middle managers are actively disengaged, while Gallup’s findings show employee dissatisfaction at 15-year highs. In 2026, Wema suggests you will need to view middle managers not as mere implementers but rather as the crucial bridge between strategy, execution, and market growth. You can do this by empowering them, building trust, fostering autonomy, and holding them accountable for their work.
4) “The ability to use data and AI effectively becomes an operational imperative to help organizations adapt to the future.”
According to Sol Rashidi, the world’s first Chief AI Officer in 2016 and voted Forbes ‘AI Visionary & Maverick of the 21st Century’, AI is not a cure-all for your business. However, you will need to use AI to stay competitive.
Therefore, in 2026, Sol recommends that your business manage expectations for AI effectiveness, set reasonable expectations, and focus on people, not the tech. Finally, remember to use AI purposefully. Not every business problem needs to be solved by it.
5) “The real risk in leadership today isn’t ignorance or lack of expertise—it’s hesitation.”
According to Dr. Margie Warrell, bestselling author, leadership advisor, and ‘courage strategist,’ businesses are paying a timidity tax.
Margie notes that surveys show 70% of employees are afraid to speak up at work, while 85% of innovation leaders report that fear often or always holds back innovation in their organizations. This fear is costing your business. In 2026, Margie recommends that your business take smart risks, reward truth over comfort, and act on conviction before certainty arrives.
If you are interested in hiring a top women keynote speaker, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today.
For more top women speakers, read:
10 Top Women Speakers in Innovation and Business
Speaker
Dr. Margie Warrell