EP 734 Expert Leaders Outperform the Growing Legion of Generalists

Our guest today has a basic rule, based on research, about leaders of businesses and organizations.  They should, first and foremost, be experts in the activity they lead and then acquire and assume the leadership skills required to run the operation.  In too many cases, as has been the trajectory since the 1980’s, more and more chief executives come with MBA’s, yet no practical experience in the widgets or services being created, or crossover from manufacturing, say, cars to then being hired to run a bank.  And, according to research, the results with experts are far better by many measurements–happy and productive workforce, focus on the mission and the bottom line.  Perhaps, most important is the long view, not just quarterly results, that expert leaders take when committed to the products or services they provide, is key to their success.  Amanda Goodall, a business school professor at the University of London, and author of “Credible: The Power of Expert Leaders” is our guest today.

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