thinkers50 ranked thinker

Sydney Finkelstein

Award-winning professor renowned for his research on leadership, strategy, and corporate governance and how to become a “superboss”.

01. ranked thinker

Ranked #44 in 2019.

Previous positions: #23 (2017), #41 (2015), and #43 (2013).

02. FAST FACT

Creator of the Sydcast, sharing conversations with fascinating people you may not know.

03. FAST FACT

The idea for Superbosses came from Finkelstein’s love of food, and football.

ideas

Finkelstein demonstrates how good leaders are educators. He looks at how leadership success is linked to developing the best talent, and reveals management practices that separate the best bosses from the merely good ones. Finkelstein also identifies the fundamental reasons why major mistakes happen within a company. He points out the early warning signals that are critical for investors and managers alike, and offers ideas on how organizations can develop a capability of learning from corporate mistakes.

Nationality

Canadian

BIO

Finkelstein is the Steven Roth professor of management at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, where he teaches courses on leadership and strategy. He has published over 25 books and 90 articles. He holds degrees from Concordia University and the London School of Economics, as well as a PhD from Columbia University in strategic management. He is a fellow of the Academy of Management, and has been honoured with awards from McKinsey, ANBAR, and AT Kearney.

Content

The Superbosses Playbook: A Workbook Companion to Superbosses (Penguin Portfolio 2019); Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent (Penguin Portfolio, 2016); 7 Bad Habits of Unsuccessful People (New Word City, 2014); Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep it From Happening to You (with Jo Whitehead and Andrew Campbell, HBR Press, 2009); Strategic Leadership (Oxford University Press, 2009); Breakout Strategy (with Charles Harvey and Thomas C Lawton, McGraw-Hill, 2007); Why Smart Executives Fail (Penguin Portfolio, 2003).

website

Sydney Finkelstein

Twitter

@sydfinkelstein

Media Picks

VERDICT

“We have long recognised Sydney Finkelstein as one of the world’s leading management thinkers. With Superbosses, he demonstrates why. It is a riveting, inspiring and practical tour de force.“

Stuart Crainer & Des Dearlove, Thinkers50