Amanda Goodall – Author
Books
Credible: The Power of Expert Leaders
By Amanda Goodall
‘Credible’ presents a powerful argument for why expertise really matters, and how leaders who deeply understand their industry and organization make all the difference for its success and the happiness of people who work there.
It is a response to the backlash against expertise that has swept through much of the world. Based on nearly two decades of research, Amanda Goodall vividly illustrates that what makes the difference in organizational performance is a boss with core business expertise and the credibility that comes from technical knowledge and industry know-how accrued over many years.
Organizations from banks to basketball teams need bosses with core expertise. Those who lead hospitals and healthcare systems, for example, should be physicians with deep clinical expertise, not financiers or people parachuted in from other industries. Those who run school systems and universities need to understand from experience the stress of balancing teaching, research, and student welfare.
In Credible, Goodall debunks the cult of managerialism (the notion that smart people can run anything) and provides an underappreciated model for career success: go deep into a business, work hard, and know your stuff.
Published by Basic Books in the UK, and Public Affairs in the USA
Socrates in the Boardroom
Why Research Universities Should Be Led by Top Scholars
By Amanda Goodall
Experts, not managers, make the best leaders. It shows that the performance of universities improves if they are led by presidents who are outstanding scholars – leaders who have deep expertise in what an organisation actually does.
To make its case, the book uses detailed data on the world’s universities. It shows there is a relationship between the research ability of a university leader and the later performance of that university. In other words, Socrates should be in the boardroom.
Published by Princeton University Press
