Great leaders in history: 40 examples and what they teach a team
Rulers, organizers, scientists, explorers, founders and coaches, each with one sourced fact and a lesson for your team. Plus a 15-minute discussion to run with them.
These 40 great leaders in history were picked for how they led, not only for how much they changed. Conquerors and tyrants were influential, but they are not on this list. We also left out political leaders of the last 50 years and religious founders, so the page works in any meeting. Each entry has dates, one fact checked against a named source, and one line on what a team can take from it today.
40 great leaders at a glance
Names jump to the entry. Years are birth to death; for monarchs, the years they reigned.
| Leader | Years | What they led |
|---|---|---|
| Hatshepsut | Reigned c. 1479 to 1458 BCE | Ancient Egypt |
| Ashoka | Reigned c. 268 to 232 BCE | The Maurya Empire |
| Marcus Aurelius | Reigned 161 to 180 CE | The Roman Empire |
| Sejong the Great | Reigned 1418 to 1450 | Joseon Korea |
| Elizabeth I | Reigned 1558 to 1603 | England |
| Liliʻuokalani | Reigned 1891 to 1893 | The Hawaiian Kingdom |
| Abraham Lincoln | 1809 to 1865 | The United States in the Civil War |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1890 to 1969 | The Allied invasion of Normandy |
| Mahatma Gandhi | 1869 to 1948 | Nonviolent resistance in India |
| Harriet Tubman | c. 1822 to 1913 | Escapes on the Underground Railroad |
| Frederick Douglass | 1818 to 1895 | The abolitionist movement |
| Susan B. Anthony | 1820 to 1906 | The campaign for women's right to vote |
| Eleanor Roosevelt | 1884 to 1962 | The drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
| Rosa Parks | 1913 to 2005 | The start of the Montgomery bus boycott |
| Martin Luther King Jr. | 1929 to 1968 | The civil rights movement |
| Wangari Maathai | 1940 to 2011 | Tree planting and women's groups in Kenya |
| Marie Curie | 1867 to 1934 | Mobile X-ray units in World War I |
| Jonas Salk | 1914 to 1995 | The first polio vaccine |
| Grace Hopper | 1906 to 1992 | Early programming languages |
| D. A. Henderson | 1928 to 2016 | The global campaign to end smallpox |
| Frances Oldham Kelsey | 1914 to 2015 | The FDA review of thalidomide |
| Charles R. Drew | 1904 to 1950 | Early large-scale blood banks |
| Roald Amundsen | 1872 to 1928 | The first expedition to the South Pole |
| Meriwether Lewis | 1774 to 1809 | The Corps of Discovery |
| Tenzing Norgay | 1914 to 1986 | The first ascent of Everest, with Edmund Hillary |
| Neil Armstrong | 1930 to 2012 | The first crewed Moon landing |
| Amelia Earhart | 1897 to 1937 | The Ninety-Nines, a group of women pilots |
| Zheng He | 1371 to c. 1433 | Seven voyages across the Indian Ocean |
| Clara Barton | 1821 to 1912 | The American Red Cross |
| Jane Addams | 1860 to 1935 | Hull House in Chicago |
| Maggie L. Walker | 1864 to 1934 | St. Luke Penny Savings Bank |
| Madam C. J. Walker | 1867 to 1919 | A national hair care company |
| Katharine Graham | 1917 to 2001 | The Washington Post |
| James E. Burke | 1925 to 2012 | Johnson & Johnson |
| John Wooden | 1910 to 2010 | UCLA men's basketball |
| Bill Russell | 1934 to 2022 | The Boston Celtics |
| Jackie Robinson | 1919 to 1972 | The integration of Major League Baseball |
| Pat Summitt | 1952 to 2016 | Tennessee women's basketball |
| Roberto Clemente | 1934 to 1972 | The Pittsburgh Pirates, and relief work |
| Herb Brooks | 1937 to 2003 | The 1980 US Olympic hockey team |
40 great leaders in history, by what they led
Six groups, so you can find a leader who fits your team's kind of work.
Leaders of nations and empires
1. Hatshepsut
Pharaoh of Egypt · Reigned c. 1479 to 1458 BCEShe sent a trading expedition to the land of Punt, and its voyage and cargo of myrrh, ebony and exotic animals are carved on the walls of her temple at Deir el-Bahri. Source: World History Encyclopedia
The lesson for a team: Growth can come from good partners, not only from beating rivals.
2. Ashoka
Mauryan emperor of India · Reigned c. 268 to 232 BCEAfter his bloody conquest of Kalinga around 260 BCE, he gave up wars of conquest and had his principles carved on rocks and pillars across his empire. Source: World History Encyclopedia
The lesson for a team: When you change course, say so publicly and say why.
3. Marcus Aurelius
Roman emperor · Reigned 161 to 180 CEHe wrote the Meditations in Greek as private notes to himself, at least partly while on military campaigns in the 170s. Source: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The lesson for a team: Leading others starts with an honest look at yourself.
4. Sejong the Great
King of Joseon Korea · Reigned 1418 to 1450He oversaw the creation of Hangul, an alphabet designed so ordinary people could learn to read and write. It was finished in 1443 and published in 1446. Source: World History Encyclopedia
The lesson for a team: Make the tool simple enough for everyone, not only the experts.
5. Elizabeth I
Queen of England · Reigned 1558 to 1603She chose her ministers well, above all William Cecil, later Lord Burghley, who served her from the start of her reign in 1558 until his death in 1598. Source: The Royal Family
The lesson for a team: Keep a trusted adviser who will tell you the hard truth, for years.
6. Liliʻuokalani
Queen of Hawaiʻi · Reigned 1891 to 1893In 1893 she yielded her authority under protest to avoid loss of life, then fought annexation with formal protests and by lobbying in Washington. Source: National Archives
The lesson for a team: Refusing a fight you can't win is not the same as giving up.
7. Abraham Lincoln
16th US president · 1809 to 1865His Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 ran about 270 words and took around two minutes to deliver. Source: US Government Publishing Office
The lesson for a team: The short version is the one people remember.
8. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Allied commander, 34th US president · 1890 to 1969On June 5, 1944, the day before D-Day, he wrote a short note to release if the landings failed, taking the blame entirely on himself. Source: Eisenhower Presidential Library
The lesson for a team: Own the risk of a big call before you make it.
Leaders of movements for rights and freedom
9. Mahatma Gandhi
Leader of India's independence movement · 1869 to 1948In 1930 he led the Salt March, walking about 240 miles over 24 days to the sea at Dandi, where he made salt in defiance of British law. Source: Gandhi Heritage Portal
The lesson for a team: A simple act that anyone can join beats a complicated plan.
10. Harriet Tubman
Abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor · c. 1822 to 1913After escaping slavery, she made about 13 trips back into Maryland to lead family and friends to freedom, and gave directions to about 70 more who escaped on their own. Source: National Park Service
The lesson for a team: Once you've found the way, go back for others.
11. Frederick Douglass
Abolitionist, writer and publisher · 1818 to 1895He escaped slavery in 1838, published his Narrative in 1845 and founded the newspaper The North Star in 1847. Source: National Park Service
The lesson for a team: Tell your own story; nobody can tell it better.
12. Susan B. Anthony
Women's suffrage leader · 1820 to 1906She was arrested for voting in the 1872 presidential election, convicted and fined $100, which she refused to pay. Source: National Park Service
The lesson for a team: Act on the principle, and be ready to pay the cost.
13. Eleanor Roosevelt
Diplomat and human rights advocate · 1884 to 1962She chaired the UN Commission on Human Rights, which drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on December 10, 1948. Source: United Nations
The lesson for a team: Getting people who disagree to agree on one document is real leadership.
14. Rosa Parks
Civil rights activist · 1913 to 2005Her arrest on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She had been elected secretary of the Montgomery NAACP in 1943. Source: Stanford King Institute
The lesson for a team: Moments of courage usually rest on years of quiet work.
15. Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights leader · 1929 to 1968In 1964, at 35, he became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and he gave the prize money to the civil rights movement. Source: Nobel Prize
The lesson for a team: When the reward comes, share it with the people who earned it with you.
16. Wangari Maathai
Founder of the Green Belt Movement · 1940 to 2011She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which got women in Kenya planting tens of millions of trees, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Source: Nobel Prize
The lesson for a team: Give people a small task they can do today toward a big goal.
Leaders in science and medicine
17. Marie Curie
Physicist and chemist · 1867 to 1934During World War I she equipped about 20 mobile X-ray vans, learned to drive so she could run one herself, and trained about 150 women as X-ray operators. Source: American Institute of Physics
The lesson for a team: Put your expertise where the need is, and train others to do it too.
18. Jonas Salk
Virologist · 1914 to 1995His polio vaccine was announced safe and effective on April 12, 1955, after a 1954 national trial in more than a million children. He never patented it. Source: Salk Institute
The lesson for a team: Measure success by how many people the work reaches.
19. Grace Hopper
Computer scientist, US Navy rear admiral · 1906 to 1992She built one of the first compilers, A-0, in 1952, then pushed for programming in English words, which led to FLOW-MATIC and shaped COBOL. Source: Yale University
The lesson for a team: Make the work easier for the next person, not only for yourself.
20. D. A. Henderson
Epidemiologist · 1928 to 2016He directed the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication campaign from 1966 to 1977. The last natural case came in 1977, and smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. Source: Johns Hopkins University
The lesson for a team: A clear finish line keeps a huge team pulling the same way.
21. Frances Oldham Kelsey
FDA medical officer · 1914 to 2015As an FDA medical officer from 1960, she refused to approve thalidomide for US sale despite pressure from the drug company, and received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service in 1962. Source: National Library of Medicine
The lesson for a team: Hold the line when the evidence isn't there, even under pressure.
22. Charles R. Drew
Surgeon and blood bank pioneer · 1904 to 1950He led the Blood for Britain program as its medical director in 1940, and in early 1941 became director of the new American Red Cross Blood Bank. Source: National Archives
The lesson for a team: Turn a new idea into a system other people can run.
Leaders of exploration
23. Roald Amundsen
Polar explorer · 1872 to 1928He led the first expedition to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911, using sled dogs and fur clothing he had learned about from Netsilik Inuit while wintering in the Arctic. Source: Fram Museum
The lesson for a team: Learn from the people who already do it well.
24. Meriwether Lewis
Co-leader, Lewis and Clark Expedition · 1774 to 1809When the Army commissioned William Clark only as a lieutenant, the men were never told and knew him as Captain Clark, and the two shared command of the expedition equally. Source: National Park Service
The lesson for a team: Share the top job when your partner has earned it.
25. Tenzing Norgay
Sherpa mountaineer · 1914 to 1986After he and Edmund Hillary reached the top of Everest on May 29, 1953, he met questions about who stepped onto the summit first by saying they had climbed together. Source: The New York Times
The lesson for a team: Shared credit keeps a team together.
26. Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11 commander · 1930 to 2012During the Apollo 11 landing in July 1969, he took manual control and flew the lunar module past a boulder field, landing with only about 45 seconds of usable fuel left. Source: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal
The lesson for a team: Stay calm and take the controls when the plan stops working.
27. Amelia Earhart
Aviator · 1897 to 1937She helped organize the 1929 All-Women's Air Derby, became the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a group of women pilots formed after it, and lectured across the country on aviation and women's issues. Source: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
The lesson for a team: Use your spotlight to open the door for others.
28. Zheng He
Chinese admiral · 1371 to c. 1433He led seven voyages across the Indian Ocean between 1405 and 1433, with fleets of dozens to hundreds of ships carrying up to about 28,000 crew. Source: Columbia University
The lesson for a team: Big ventures need logistics as much as vision.
Shackleton, Nightingale, Washington and a different Lincoln story are in our guide to the qualities of a good leader. For a team night, several of these stories are on screen in our leadership movies list.
Leaders who built businesses and institutions
29. Clara Barton
Founder of the American Red Cross · 1821 to 1912She founded the American Red Cross on May 21, 1881, and led it as its first president for 23 years. Source: American Red Cross
The lesson for a team: See a gap, then build the group that fills it.
30. Jane Addams
Social reformer · 1860 to 1935In 1889 she and Ellen Gates Starr opened Hull-House, a settlement house in Chicago, and in 1931 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Source: Nobel Prize
The lesson for a team: Live close to the problem you are trying to solve.
31. Maggie L. Walker
Banker and business leader · 1864 to 1934In 1903 she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Virginia, and as its first president became the first African American woman to charter a bank in the United States. Source: National Park Service
The lesson for a team: Build what your community can't get anywhere else.
32. Madam C. J. Walker
Entrepreneur · 1867 to 1919She built a hair care company and trained thousands of Black women as Walker sales agents, who earned their own income from commissions. Source: National Women's History Museum
The lesson for a team: Your success grows when you train others to succeed.
33. Katharine Graham
Publisher of The Washington Post · 1917 to 2001In 1971 she gave the go-ahead to publish the Pentagon Papers despite the risk of criminal charges, threats to the company's TV licenses and its planned stock offering. Source: The Washington Post
The lesson for a team: Someone has to make the final call, and that is the job.
34. James E. Burke
CEO of Johnson & Johnson · 1925 to 2012After seven deaths from tampered Tylenol capsules in the Chicago area in 1982, he had about 31 million bottles recalled, at a cost of roughly $100 million. Source: Wharton School
The lesson for a team: Put people's safety ahead of this quarter's numbers.
Leaders in sport
35. John Wooden
Basketball coach · 1910 to 2010His UCLA men's basketball teams won 10 NCAA championships in 12 seasons, from 1964 to 1975. Source: UCLA Athletics
The lesson for a team: Steady habits, repeated for years, outlast one great season.
36. Bill Russell
Basketball player and coach · 1934 to 2022In 1966 he took over the Boston Celtics as player-coach, becoming the NBA's first Black head coach, and led them to titles in 1968 and 1969. Source: NBA
The lesson for a team: You can lead from inside the team, not only from the sideline.
37. Jackie Robinson
Baseball player · 1919 to 1972He broke Major League Baseball's color line with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, keeping his promise to Branch Rickey not to answer the abuse aimed at him in his early seasons. Source: Society for American Baseball Research
The lesson for a team: Discipline under provocation can change more than a fight would.
38. Pat Summitt
Basketball coach · 1952 to 2016As Tennessee's women's basketball coach she won 1,098 games and eight NCAA titles, and every player who completed her eligibility under her graduated. Source: Tennessee Athletics
The lesson for a team: Care about the person, not only the result.
39. Roberto Clemente
Baseball player · 1934 to 1972He died on December 31, 1972, when a heavily loaded plane carrying relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua crashed off Puerto Rico. Source: Baseball Hall of Fame
The lesson for a team: Lead with service, not only with talent.
40. Herb Brooks
Hockey coach · 1937 to 2003He coached the 1980 US Olympic men's hockey team, a roster of college players and minor leaguers, to an upset of the Soviet Union and then the gold medal. Source: US Olympic and Paralympic Museum
The lesson for a team: A team that plays as one can beat a team of stars.
What great leaders in history have in common
Six patterns run through the 40 entries above. None of them needs a title.
- They kept the message short. Lincoln needed about two minutes at Gettysburg. Gandhi's march was about salt, something every household used.
- They owned the risk. Eisenhower wrote his blame note before D-Day. Graham, Burke and Kelsey each made a call that could have cost them.
- They built other people up. Curie trained X-ray operators, Madam C. J. Walker trained sales agents, and Tubman went back for others.
- They shared the credit. King gave away his prize money, Lewis shared command with Clark, and Tenzing said he and Hillary had climbed together.
- They prepared long before the big moment. Amundsen learned polar travel from people who lived it, and Parks had organized for years before her arrest.
- They kept honest people close. Elizabeth I kept Cecil for four decades, and Marcus Aurelius held himself to account in his own notebook.
For the full list of traits, with what each looks like on an ordinary workday, see the qualities of a good leader. To practice them, start with these leadership skills.
Use it with your team: a 15-minute discussion
For a team meeting, a manager training or a lunch and learn. Everyone reads two or three entries first.
- Pick (2 minutes). Each person picks one leader from this page and reads the entry again.
- Pairs (5 minutes). Explain your pick to a partner: what they faced and what they did.
- Group (6 minutes). Go through the questions below, one or two per pair.
- Commit (2 minutes). Everyone names one habit from their leader to try before the next meeting.
Questions to paste in the chat or on a slide:
Need a warm-up first? Try one of these leadership icebreakers.
Bring a leadership session to your team
Reading about great leaders is a start; practicing with a facilitator is the next step. Our leadership team building page has hosted workshops for managers and whole teams.
- For anyone, title or not: The Art of Self-Leadership is a 60-minute workshop on setting meaningful goals and getting past self-doubt.
- For managers who still do it all: Supercharge Your Squad helps managers move from doing everything themselves to building a team that has their back.
- For a monthly learning slot: our lunch and learn workshops are hosted 60-minute sessions on a range of topics.
- All run live on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request). Book about 2 weeks ahead, and teams split across time zones can have it run as two sessions.
Two live workshops, with today’s price.
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