Herding Cats

It is well known that in their professional lives most academics and researchers will - like cats - seek to exercise as much independence as possible. In Herding Cats, Geoff Garrett and Graeme Davies combine their top-level experience of leading/managing international academic and research institutions with wisdom gleaned from 50 senior colleagues around the world. They deal with common leadership and management themes, like making tough strategic choices, leading change effectively, dealing with bureaucracy, allocating resources, managing budgets and ensuring effective implementation. Garrett, Davies and their friends paint a picture of the culture of a typical 'cats' environment - replete with remarkable intellects, passion, arguments, politics and prejudice, and where trying to push people to a destination is usually doomed to failure. Herding Cats guides leaders and aspiring leaders in academic and research institutions through the process of learning to accept and embrace the qualities of their 'cats' so they can tempt them to an outcome with agility and success. "Herding Cats is brilliant... a 'must read' for all academic and research leaders... The book is full of extraordinary insights... it should not be read once, but again and again, since the strategic guidance it provides is so invaluable." Dr Ramesh Mashelkar, FRS, formerly Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, CSIR, India, and presently President of the Global Research Alliance "Not only did I enjoy Herding Cats - I laughed out loud at how true it is. Cats indeed. I also enjoyed the novel format: succinct, engaging, and easy to comprehend. Great job." Dr Curtis Carlson, Chief Executive, SRI International, Menlo Park, USA "This short book is lively, good fun but full of wisdom, eminently readable, great common sense and filled with really good quotes... a useful roadmap for any leader embarking on this tough enterprise." Sir Gustav Nossal, FRS, The University of Melbourne, Australia