David Grossman

David is both a teacher and student of effective leadership and communication. He is one of America’s foremost authorities on communication and leadership inside organizations and a sought-after advisor to Fortune 500 leaders.

Leveraging his background in organizational development and psychology, David has been called “The CEO Whisperer” for his ability to open minds and hearts and is known for his thoughtful, personal, and pragmatic approach to coaching and advising. By advocating for employees and as a thoughtpartner™ to senior management, David and his team help organizations unleash the power of communication as a strategic business tool to engage employees and drive performance.

David is the Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, an award-winning Chicago-based communications consultancy focused on organizational consulting, strategic leadership development, and internal communications. The Grossman Group’s client roster represents a wide range of industries. It includes some of the world’s leading companies such as AbbottLaboratories, Amazon, DHL, Grubhub, Hillrom (now part of Baxter), Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Lockheed Martin, McDonald’s, Microsoft, and Stanley Black & Decker, among others.

David is often quoted in media, providing expert commentary and analysis on how leaders and companies can build trust and keep employees engaged through crisis and change, employee well-being and burnout, and more. He’s been featured on “NBC Nightly News,” in CBS MoneyWatch, the Chicago Tribune, Directors & Boards, Forbes, Great Place to Work, the LA Times, Newsweek, and the World Economic Forum.

David is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and the Forbes Communication Council, a Trustee for The Institute for Public Relations, and a member of the Board of Advisors for The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. He is a designated Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) through the National Speakers Association, an MBTI® Certified Practitioner, and a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner, and taught graduate-level internal communications at Columbia University.

David is a five-time award-winning author. His popular book Heart First: Lasting Leader Lessons from a Year that Changed Everything continues to be applauded by leaders at all levels for the practical approaches and rich stories of heart-first leadership, told by senior leaders around the globe. In addition, David has published a version of Heart First for emerging leaders, which is praised by students, young professionals, and educators for inspiring the next generation to lead and make an impact. David’s leadercommunicator™ blog has been ranked the number one blog on communications by Feedspot eight years in a row.

He has also authored numerous e-books, such as “Top 11 Attributes of Exceptional Leaders and Communicators,” “A Persona for Today’s Employee,” “What the Most Successful CEOs Know: How Internal CEO Communications Shape Financial Performance,” ”7 Critical Traits for Building Trust Inside Companies,” and “Burned Out & Checked Out: What Employees and Managers Need to Thrive.” He has been featured in several industry and trade publications.

Twice named PR Week’s “Boutique Agency of the Year” and PRovoke Media’s “Employee Communication Agency of the Year,” The Grossman Group uses its unique Grossman Methodology—encompassing its award-winning proprietary tools, training, and thought partner approach—to deliver proven, breakthrough strategies that solve clients’ business challenges. Its work has won all the “Oscars” of communication, including the American and International Business Awards Gold Stevie®, among others. The Grossman Group is a certified diversity supplier.

Before founding The Grossman Group in 2000, David was director of communications for McDonald’s. David graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an honors degree in Journalism and holds a master’s in Corporate Public Relations from Northwestern University.