Bob Nelson

Dr. Bob Nelson is considered the world’s leading authority on employee recognition and engagement. He is president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a management training and consulting company specializing in helping organizations improve their management practices, programs, and systems. He’s worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies as a strategist for HR issues; has been a long-time collaborator and confidant for Dr. Ken Blanchard, co-author of “The One Minute Manager;” and is currently a personal coach for Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, the world’s #1-ranked executive coach.

Dr. Nelson has sold over 5 million books on management, employee motivation and engagement, including "1,501 Ways to Reward Employees," "The 1,001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook," "1,001 Ways to Energize Employees," "The Management Bible," "1,001 Ways to Engage Employees," and his latest: "Work Made Fun Gets Done!" His books have been translated into over 37 languages.

Dr. Nelson's recognition and distinctions include being named the #1 Management Guru in the World for 2024 by Global Gurus and a Top Ten Keynote Speaker for 2024 by ManageHR. He's a Distinguished Fellow at EBSCOlearning and a Senior Fellow in Human Capital for The Conference Board; was voted a Top Thought Leader by the Best Practice Institute, a Leading Global Employee Engagement Influencer by EE Awards, and one of the Most Influential People to Follow by peopleHum. He was also named a leading Authority and a “Consultant’s Consultant” by HR Tech Outlook.

He has presented on six continents; appears extensively in the national and international media including CBS’ 60 Minutes, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, as well as in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and Inc. magazines to discuss how to best motivate today’s employees. He’s a columnist for The Conference Board, CEO World, Inc, Incentive, Bank Marketing, and Corporate Meetings and Incentives magazines.

Dr. Nelson received an MBA in organizational behavior from UC Berkeley and a PhD in management education with Dr. Peter Drucker, “The Father of Modern Management,” at the Drucker Graduate Management School in suburban Los Angeles. He teaches for the MBA program at the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego, and volunteers for The Honor Foundation, helping elite military personnel (Seals, Rangers, Green Berets, etc.) transition to civilian life.