Bayes Professor wins international recognition for book on the power of expertise

Amanda Goodall, Professor of Leadership and Director of the Bayes Executive Master's in Medical Leadership, has won a major business book award.

In her recent book, Credible: The Power of Expert Leaders, Professor Goodall deploys the fruits of 20 years of research to set out the value of expert leadership in companies and other organisations. Exploring the relationship between leadership and organisational performance, Credible draws on data from a range of businesses, professional sport and health services to show the value of leaders with expertise in the core business.

The book carried off top prize in the ‘Management and Leadership’ category of the annual Best in Business Book Awards – which are overseen by SABEW, the world’s largest and oldest organisation of business and financial journalists. The judges described Credible as “a deeply-researched and passionately-argued case for selecting corporate leaders who are experts in their chosen fields”.

The judges were drawn from top journalism schools and prestigious media organisations including Time, National Public Radio (NPR) and CNBC.

As well as leading the MSc for medical doctors, Professor Goodall teaches personal leadership development and other leadership courses on the Bayes MBAs.

Credible had already secured great reviews in publications such as The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

Speaking after learning of the accolade, Professor Goodall said:

“I’m really chuffed that the judges commented on the passion of my writing because – like so many academics – I am passionate about the practical implications of my research. It does show that leaders need to be credible and therefore should have a deep understanding of the core business of the organisations they are leading and managing.

“There’s a strong evidence base that CEOs and other senior leaders who are experts in the core business typically raise standards across many areas – including taking the long view on investment and innovation and creating the right working conditions for their people.

That flows through in terms of high job satisfaction which, as we all know, really helps with recruitment and retention – and therefore the bottom line.”

Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, said:

“In her insightful and well-researched book, Credible, Goodall offers a wealth of evidence to remind us how and why expertise matters. Read this book to learn to put the power of expertise to work for you and your organisation.”

Read more about the Bayes Business School Executive Master's in Medical Leadership.

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