Louis L. Carter

Louis Carter is an American organizational psychologist, author, consultant, businessman, and executive coach best known as the founder and CEO of the Best Practice Institute (BPI) and Most Loved Workplace®, organizations focused on leadership development, organizational culture, and employee engagement.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] He has authored over a dozen books, including Best Practices in Talent Management, Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organizational Change, and In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace,^[5]^[6]^[7] and developed tools such as the Love of Workplace Index™ and SPARK methodology to measure workplace performance. Carter’s work has been featured in major outlets such as Forbes, Fast Company, and CNBC, and he has presented at venues including the United Nations and the Pentagon.

Early Life

He pursued higher education in the United States, studying Economics and Government at Connecticut College and Brown University, where he graduated *cum laude*. Carter later earned a Master of Arts in Social/Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, graduating with honors.^[8] His academic background laid the foundation for his career in organizational psychology, leadership development, and workplace culture.

Career

Louis Carter began his professional journey in the early 2000s, focusing on organizational psychology, leadership development, and executive coaching.

In 2001, he founded the Best Practice Institute (BPI), a management consulting and research firm specializing in leadership development, organizational culture, and human resources strategy.^[8]^[9] Under his leadership, BPI grew into a globally recognized organization that has worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and academic institutions.

Carter is also the founder of Most Loved Workplace®, a certification and analytics platform that measures emotional connection, workplace culture, and employee engagement. The Best Practice Institute has partnered with Newsweek to publish annual rankings of companies certified as Most Loved Workplaces.^[10]^[11]^[12]

He developed the AI-driven diagnostic tool Love of Workplace Index™^[1]^[2] and the SPARK methodology, both of which are widely used to evaluate and improve organizational performance and culture. The SPARK methodology is a workplace framework based on the principles of Systemic Collaboration, Positive Vision, Alignment of Values, Respect, and Killer Outcomes..^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17] These same principles were also applied during the creation of the Most Loved Workplace® certification and platform.

Over the course of his career, Carter has authored and co-authored more than a dozen books, including Best Practices in Talent Management, The Change Champion’s Field Guide, and In Great Company. Carter co-edited the book Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organization Change, which was published in 2004.^[6]^[7] Carter also co-edited the book The Change Champion’s Fieldguide: Strategies and Tools for Leading Change in Your Organization, which was published in 2006.^[18] His book In Great Company emphasizes the importance of emotional connection in achieving peak workplace performance and has been featured in leading business media. In Great Company was released in 2019.^[5]

Carter’s writings have been cited in academic literature over 900 times.^[19]

Beyond publishing, Carter is a recognized speaker and advisor. He has presented at global venues such as the United Nations, the Pentagon, and major corporate summits. He has also been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Newsweek, CNBC, and other leading outlets for his expertise in leadership and workplace culture.

Through his consulting, research, and technology platforms, Carter has directly impacted millions of employees and thousands of organizations worldwide. Carter has also served as a workplace consultant for institutions such as the Pentagon, the United Nations, and Pfizer.^[20]^[21]

Selected publications

Carter, L., Linkage Inc., Giber, D., & Goldsmith, M. (Eds.) (2001). Best Practices in Organization Development and Change: Culture, Leadership, Retention, Performance, Coaching. Pfeiffer.
Ulrich, D., Carter, L., & Goldsmith, M. (Eds.) (2004). Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organization Change: How the Best Companies Ensure Meaningful Change and Sustainable Leadership. Wiley.
Carter, L., Sullivan, R. L., Goldsmith, M., Ulrich, D., & Smallwood, N. (Eds.) (2006). The Change Champion's Field Guide: Strategies and Tools for Leading Change in Your Organization. Wiley.
Carter, L., Sobol, M., Harkins, P. J., Giber, D., Tarquinio, (2006). Leading the Global Workforce: Best Practices from Linkage, Inc. Jossey-Bass.
Goldsmith, M., & Carter, L. (Eds.) (2010). Best Practices in Talent Management: How the World’s Leading Corporations Manage, Develop, and Retain Top Talent. Pfeiffer.
Carter, L. (2019). In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance By Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace. McGraw-Hill.

References

External links

http://Louiscarter.com

https://www.instagram.com/louislcarter

https://www.facebook.com/BestPracticeInstitute/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiscarter/

twitter.com/louislcarter

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://streetwisejournal.com/from-psychology-to-performance-how-louis-carter-helps-companies-grow-through-culture/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[:1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 https://marketresearchjournals.com/he-built-a-cultural-transformation-platform-from-data-and-emotional-connectedness-meet-louis-carter/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[3] ttps://newyorkbusinessnow.com/how-louis-carters-most-loved-workplace-measures-what-really-matters/

[4] ttps://www.successxl.com/meet-the-man-teaching-leaders-how-to-love-louis-carter/

[:2-5] 5.0 ^5.1 https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/in-great-company-how-to-spark-peak-performance-by-creating-an-emotionally-connected-workplace

[:3-6] 6.0 ^6.1 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.0020051109_5.x

[:4-7] 7.0 ^7.1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260334056_Book_Review_Best_Practices_in_Leadership_Development_and_Organization_Change_How_the_Best_Companies_Ensure_Meaningful_Change_and_Sustainable_Leadership_by_Louis_Carter_David_Ulrich_Marshall_Goldsmith_

[:5-8] 8.0 ^8.1 https://globalgurus.org/organizational-culture-gurus-top-30/

[9] ttps://www.orlandosentinel.com/2021/01/07/remote-workers-ceos-may-clash-as-businesses-reopen-their-doors-commentary/

[10] ttps://armoneyandpolitics.com/newsweek-arvest-most-loved-workplaces/

[11] ttps://rankings.newsweek.com/most-loved-workplaces-2024

[12] ttps://rankings.newsweek.com/global-most-loved-workplaces-2025

[13] ttps://futuremillionairesmagazine.com/louis-carter-on-building-cultures-that-scale-a-blueprint-for-the-gen-ai-era/

[14] ttps://topglobe.news/louis-carter-built-the-platform-that-measures-and-scales-purpose-at-work/

[15] ttps://mktbeat.com/2025/08/22/why-ceos-and-chros-are-turning-to-louis-carter-to-future-proof-their-workforce/

[16] ttps://businesssharksmagazine.com/the-culture-doctor-how-louis-carter-is-prescribing-love-to-fix-broken-workplaces/

[17] ttps://www.emphas.is/how-louis-carter-is-redefining-workplace-culture-through-emotional-connectedness/

[18] ttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0258042X0603100207?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[19] ttps://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bTTI420AAAAJ&hl=en

[20] ttps://www.successxl.com/meet-the-man-teaching-leaders-how-to-love-louis-carter/

[21] ttps://www.emphas.is/how-louis-carter-is-redefining-workplace-culture-through-emotional-connectedness/

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