Jim Clifton

CEO

Since 1988, Jim Clifton has served as CEO of Gallup, an organizational consulting and public opinion research firm. He created the Gallup World Poll, designed to give the world’s 6 billion citizens a voice in virtually all key global issues. He also created a model that establishes the linkages among human nature in the workplace, customer engagement, and business outcomes. Clifton has pledged to continue this effort to collect world opinion for 100 years in 150 countries. He has authored many articles and the book, The Coming Jobs War (Gallup Press, 2011).

Thu, 01/29/2015 - 00:00
Is U.S. Entrepreneurship Dead or Alive? U.S. business deaths now outnumber business births
Thu, 01/29/2015 - 00:00
The United States now ranks not first, not second, not third, but 12th among developed nations in terms of business startup activity. Hungary, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Israel, and Italy all have higher startup rates than does the…
The Root Cause of Bloodshed in the Middle East? No customers
Mon, 08/25/2014 - 14:31
The Middle East has collapsed into a state of chaos, conflict, and suffering that was unimaginable and unforeseen just four years ago. Hardly any experts or institutions predicted the wars and revolutions that have engulfed the region, and those…
Strategy: Maximize Your Current Customers Money can’t buy ‘true believers’ in your company
Wed, 07/16/2014 - 10:53
American businesses are among the best run in the world, but Fortune 1000 leaders still haven’t mastered organic growth. They talk a good game about growing their customer base, but then they go back to their offices, shut their doors, and either…
Nothing Fixes a Bad Manager Companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent 82 percent of the time
Wed, 05/28/2014 - 16:58
Companies seem to try everything imaginable to fix their workplaces, except the only thing that matters: Naming the right person manager. Leaders go to seminars, hire consultants, and employ a long list of interventions—competencies, 360s, and so…
Wanted: America’s Entrepreneurial Freaks of Nature We need a nationwide dragnet for rare business builders
Tue, 09/03/2013 - 16:28
Some of the smartest people I know often tell me, “Businesses aren’t going to start growing again until consumer demand comes back.” Really? So we should just sit around and wait until economic growth magically returns? Growth doesn’t just happen…
Politicians and Media, You’re on the Wrong Page It’s not our country, but our leadership that’s in decline
Thu, 05/09/2013 - 10:38

During a recent interview with a big Los Angeles-area newspaper, a reporter asked me, “Is America now in permanent decline?” My answer was, “No.” Our country is not in permanent decline. But I’m concerned that our leadership is. Actually,…
Do Away With Managers From Hell And watch the number of engaged workers climb and the GDP boom
Mon, 03/25/2013 - 16:06

Here’s something they’ll probably never teach you in business school: The most consequential decision you make in your job—more important than all the rest—is who you name manager. When you name the right people to manage your company’s When…
China, We Have a Workplace Problem The country’s disengaged employees may pose its biggest economic challenge
Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:08
China will become the global economic leader sometime during the next 10 to 25 years, according to many economists. This means China—and not the United States—will have the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world, which will, of course,…
The Five-Alarm Fire Leaders Are Ignoring As small businesses stagnate, their ability to push improvements and innovation also idles
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 09:50
Please don’t tell me that the U.S. economy is moving in the right direction, however slowly. I hear this from politicians and commentators all the time. It isn’t. Not even close. Key economic metrics offer no encouragement at all. The two big ones…
Political Leaders: Treat Your Citizens Like Customers—or Go Broke Appreciate them and learn their concerns, preferences, and priorities
Thu, 12/13/2012 - 11:28
The four following anecdotes carry a similar message. They should seriously alarm city, state, and country leaders everywhere. A CEO of a multibillion-dollar California company, and lifelong resident of the Golden State, told me at a dinner that he…