Michael D. Watkins headshot 1

Michael Watkins

Leadership transition expert, best-selling author, and pioneer of proven strategies to help professionals navigate both personal adaptive changes and organizational change challenges.

HALL OF FAME

Inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, 2023.

RANKED THINKER

Ranked in 2021.

Previous positions:

#29 (2019).

FAST FAST

The First 90 Days has sold 1.5+ million copies, has been translated into 28 languages, and is named one of 100 Leadership & Success Books to Read in a Lifetime by Amazon Editors. 

Ideas

A leading expert on accelerating career transitions, Watkins created a set of principles to help leaders transition faster and more efficiently into new roles. He identifies eight key transitions in corporate life, and shows how leaders and their organizations can survive and thrive through change.

Bio

Watkins is professor of leadership and organizational change at IMD, and co-founder of Genesis Advisers. He is a former professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.

Content

Master Your Next Move (HBR Press, 2019)The First 90 Days (HBR Press, 2013); Your Next Move (HBR Press, 2009); Shaping the Game (HBR Press, 2006); Predictable Surprises (HBR Press, 2004).

NATIONALITY: Canadian

Media picks

Verdict

“The on-boarding bible.”

The Economist on The First 90 Days

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest and greatest ideas in business, management, and thought leadership.

*mandatory field

Thinkers50 will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide news, updates, and marketing. Please confirm that you agree to have us contact you by clicking below:


You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at . We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Privacy Policy Update

Thinkers50 Limited has updated its Privacy Policy on 28 March 2024 with several amendments and additions to the previous version, to fully incorporate to the text information required by current applicable date protection regulation. Processing of the personal data of Thinkers50’s customers, potential customers and other stakeholders has not been changed essentially, but the texts have been clarified and amended to give more detailed information of the processing activities.

Thinkers50 Awards Gala 2023

Join us in celebration of the best in business and management thinking.