Michael Watkins is a globally recognised expert, academic and author specialising in leadership transitions and organisational change. He has spent the past two decades coaching C-level executives and teaching the next generation of leaders how to step up to enterprise leadership, develop their teams, and transform their organisations effectively.
As a Professor of Leadership and Organisational Change, Michael teaches at the International Management Development (IMD) Business School in Switzerland and co-directs its Transition to Business Leadership executive programme for future enterprise leaders. Before joining the IMD, he was an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also the co-founder of Genesis Advisers, a boutique executive coaching firm that guides leaders and their teams and organisations through periods of transition.
His proven strategies, professional experiences and decades of contributions to management and leadership development meant that in 2023, Michael was inducted into the prestigious Thinkers50 Management Hall of Fame.
Internationally Best-Selling Author
Michael is a renowned business author, with his most notable book being the international best-seller The First 90 Days. Dubbed ‘the onboarding bible’ by The Economist in praise of its practical framework for navigating the early stages of a new leadership role, the book is one of the world's most trusted guides for managers undergoing a career transition, selling more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. It has been translated into 23 different languages and was chosen by Amazon as one of their top 100 leadership and success books to read in a lifetime.
His latest book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, was published in 2023. Featured by publications like the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and more, it provides actionable methods for leaders to weave strategic thinking into their leadership style and highlights the benefits of developing these skills within teams and organisations. The book also features various case studies and examples of CEOs and businesses who have used strategic thinking to their advantage, sharing key lessons to implement in leaders’ routines and processes.
