Leadership
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- 01 Aug 2023
- What Do You Think?
As Leaders, Why Do We Continue to Reward A, While Hoping for B?
Companies often encourage the bad behavior that executives publicly rebuke—usually in pursuit of short-term performance. What keeps leaders from truly aligning incentives and goals? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 05 Jul 2023
- HBS Case
What Kind of Leader Are You? How Three Action Orientations Can Help You Meet the Moment
Executives who confront new challenges with old formulas often fail. The best leaders tailor their approach, recalibrating their "action orientation" to address the problem at hand, says Ryan Raffaelli. He details three action orientations and how leaders can harness them.

- 05 Jul 2023
- What Do You Think?
How Are Middle Managers Falling Down Most Often on Employee Inclusion?
Companies are struggling to retain employees from underrepresented groups, many of whom don't feel heard in the workplace. What do managers need to do to build truly inclusive teams? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 14 Jun 2023
- Op-Ed
Every Company Should Have These Leaders—or Develop Them if They Don't
Companies need T-shaped leaders, those who can share knowledge across the organization while focusing on their business units, but they should be a mix of visionaries and tacticians. Hise Gibson breaks down the nuances of each leader and how companies can cultivate this talent among their ranks.

- 14 Jun 2023
- Research & Ideas
Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need Today
Struggling to spark strategic risk-taking and creative thinking? In the post-pandemic workplace, teams need psychological safety more than ever, and a new analysis by Amy Edmondson highlights the best ways to nurture it.

- 31 May 2023
- HBS Case
From Prison Cell to Nike’s C-Suite: The Journey of Larry Miller
VIDEO: Before leading one of the world’s largest brands, Nike executive Larry Miller served time in prison for murder. In this interview, Miller shares how education helped him escape a life of crime and why employers should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance. Inspired by a Harvard Business School case study.

- 23 May 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
The Entrepreneurial Journey of China’s First Private Mental Health Hospital
The city of Wenzhou in southeastern China is home to the country’s largest privately owned mental health hospital group, the Wenzhou Kangning Hospital Co, Ltd. It’s an example of the extraordinary entrepreneurship happening in China’s healthcare space. But after its successful initial public offering (IPO), how will the hospital grow in the future? Harvard Professor of China Studies William C. Kirby highlights the challenges of China’s mental health sector and the means company founder Guan Weili employed to address them in his case, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital: Changing Mental Healthcare in China.

- 09 May 2023
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Robin Williams’ Son Help Other Families Heal Addiction and Depression?
Zak Pym Williams, son of comedian and actor Robin Williams, had seen how mental health challenges, such as addiction and depression, had affected past generations of his family. Williams was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a young adult and he wanted to break the cycle for his children. Although his children were still quite young, he began considering proactive strategies that could help his family’s mental health, and he wanted to share that knowledge with other families. But how can Williams help people actually take advantage of those mental health strategies and services? Professor Lauren Cohen discusses his case, “Weapons of Self Destruction: Zak Pym Williams and the Cultivation of Mental Wellness.”

- 11 Apr 2023
- Op-Ed
The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone
New leaders no longer have the luxury of a 90-day listening tour to get to know an organization, says John Quelch. He offers seven steps to prepare CEOs for a successful start, and three missteps to avoid.

- 01 Mar 2023
- What Do You Think?
How Much Does 'Deep Purpose' Matter to the Bottom Line?
More leaders want their employees to aspire to loftier goals at work. But is deep purpose more about feel-good ideas or delivering business value? wonders James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 27 Jan 2023
- Op-Ed
Have We Lost Sight of Integrity?
Elizabeth Holmes. Sam Bankman-Fried. George Santos. The list of leaders caught trying to con the public keeps getting longer, often with dire consequences, says Bill George. Do we no longer value the truth?

- 24 Jan 2023
- Research & Ideas
Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It
Does showing passion mean doing whatever it takes to get the job done? Employees and managers often disagree, says research by Jon Jachimowicz. He offers four pieces of advice for leaders who yearn for more spirit and intensity at their companies.

- 03 Jan 2023
- What Do You Think?
How Would the Leadership Style of Girl Scouts' Frances Hesselbein Fare Today?
Frances Hesselbein's mission-driven leadership helped shift the nonprofit's image, and expand and diversify its membership. James Heskett reflects on the late executive director's reputation for storytelling and change management. Would her tactics work today? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 03 Jan 2023
- Book
Confront Workplace Inequity in 2023: Dig Deep, Build Bridges, Take Collective Action
Power dynamics tied up with race and gender underlie almost every workplace interaction, says Tina Opie. In her book Shared Sisterhood, she offers three practical steps for dismantling workplace inequities that hold back innovation.

- 05 Dec 2022
- What Do You Think?
How Would Jack Welch’s Leadership Style Fare in Today’s World?
Some consider Jack Welch the best CEO of the 20th century, but two recent books examine his effectiveness as a leader. James Heskett ponders his early interactions with Welch and his complex legacy. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 29 Sep 2022
- Op-Ed
Inclusive Leadership Advice: Get Comfortable With the Uncomfortable
People tend to seek sameness, but they can teach themselves to relish in the differences of the human experience. Francesca Gino offers these three principles from improv to anyone who's trying to lead more inclusively.

- 08 Sep 2022
- Book
Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?
Generation X and Millennials—eagerly waiting to succeed Baby Boom leaders—have the opportunity to bring more collaboration and purpose to business. In the book True North: Emerging Leader Edition, Bill George offers advice for the next wave of CEOs.

- 02 Aug 2022
- Research & Ideas
6 Strategies for Building Socially Responsible—and Profitable—Companies
A new generation of business leaders is finding innovative and profitable ways to bring about positive change in the world. In the book Purpose and Profit, George Serafeim offers a roadmap for people at every career stage who seek to align their professional aspirations with their personal values.

- 02 Jun 2022
- Research & Ideas
Blissful Thinking: When It Comes to Finding Happiness, 'Your Dreams Are Liars'
Happiness research is all the rage. Arthur Brooks shares how understanding the origins of joy can improve the way we lead organizations—and our personal lives.
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf Merger: Competition vs. Cooperation
On June 9, 2022, the first LIV Golf event teed off outside of London. The new tour offered players larger prizes, more flexibility, and ambitions to attract new fans to the sport. Immediately following the official start of that tournament, the PGA Tour announced that all 17 PGA Tour players participating in the LIV Golf event were suspended and ineligible to compete in PGA Tour events. Tensions between the two golf entities continued to rise, as more players “defected” to LIV. Eventually LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of anticompetitive practices, and the Department of Justice launched an investigation. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced that they were merging. Harvard Business School assistant professor Alexander MacKay discusses the competitive, antitrust, and regulatory issues at stake and whether or not the PGA Tour took the right actions in response to LIV Golf’s entry in his case, “LIV Golf.”