Biography of Sydney Finkelstein

Professor Finkelstein has focused his research efforts on learning from corporate mistakes; strategic leadership; leadership in Internet companies; and learning from mergers and acquisitions.

His in-depth research into corporate mistakes will be published by Penguin-Putnam in a new book due out in June 2003. Companies that are profiled in the book include Barney\'s, Cendant, Conseco, Levis, Mattel, Rite Aid, Johnson & Johnson, and Rubbermaid. Through his research, Professor Finkelstein has identified and defined four explicable sources of corporate mistakes that business managers can use to diagnose potential pitfalls in their own organizations. He has investigated four sources in detail:
# Organizational mindset failures
# Protective mechanisms
# Organizational breakdowns
# Leadership pathologies

Sydney Finkelstein is one of the most dynamic and engaging speakers today. He offers that rare combination of world-class presentation skills and leading-edge content that leaves audiences both challenged and exhilarated. Participants in previous seminars have described his programs using terms like, \"the best educational experience of my life\" and \"incredible examples and insights that opened my eyes in ways I had never considered.\" Every year Sydney gives talks throughout America and Europe. He is able to address a wide range of audiences in an entertaining fashion, but is prized, above all, for the depth and authority he brings to the subject of business breakdowns. His audiences are constantly clamoring for his latest discoveries and are eager to have them in printed form.

His articles have been published in the Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics, Journal of Business Strategy, and other leading business journals. He received the Academy of Management Award for Best Article of the Year in 1997, and an award from McKinsey for an article on boards of directors.