- 04 Jun 2020
- Book
It’s Not About You: Why Leaders Need to Look Outward
By unleashing the full potential of their teams, leaders increase safety and inclusion in the workplace. Co-author Frances Frei discusses her new book, "Unleashed." Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Mar 2020
- What Do You Think?
Are Candor, Humility, and Trust Making a Comeback?
SUMMING UP: Have core leadership values been declining in recent years? If so, how do we get them back? James Heskett's readers provide answers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 10 Feb 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Fostering Perceptions of Authenticity via Sensitive Self-Disclosure
By making sensitive self-disclosures, leaders can enhance how authentic their followers perceive them to be, leading to positive interpersonal outcomes and potentially organizational ones as well. Aside from the obvious costs of disclosing weaknesses, leaders may also reap surprising benefits from doing so.
- 03 Feb 2020
- What Do You Think?
Can an Organization Have Too Much 'Rebel Talent'?
SUMMING UP: Staffing your organization with "rebel talent" can produce energy, loyalty, productivity, and creativity. But is there such a thing as too many rebels? asks James Heskett. Readers respond. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Nov 2019
- Research & Ideas
When Your Passion Works Against You
Passion is supposed to be the secret sauce that transforms average managers into dynamic leaders. The reality is more complicated, says Jon M. Jachimowicz. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 21 Aug 2019
- Research & Ideas
What Machine Learning Teaches Us about CEO Leadership Style
Tarun Khanna and Prithwiraj Choudhury use machine-learning technology to look for links between a CEO's communications style and company performance. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 May 2019
- Research & Ideas
Activist CEOs Are Rising Up—and Their Customers Are Listening
Are product sales affected by the CEO's stance on political and social issues? Michael Toffel and Aaron Chatterji study how consumers react to vocal chief executives. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Jan 2019
- What Do You Think?
Who Will Measure up to These Two Remarkable Leaders?
SUMMING UP. In the wake of the loss of two great CEOs, James Heskett asks which schools are ready to turn out the next generation of transformative leaders? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 26 Nov 2018
- Book
Make Your Employees Feel Psychologically Safe
To do their best work, people need to feel secure and safe in their workplace. In a new book, Amy C. Edmondson details how companies can develop psychological safety. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 31 Oct 2018
- What Do You Think?
What is the Function of Fear in Leadership?
SUMMING UP Is the use of fear by managers ever justified? For James Heskett's readers, the answer is not so simple. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Apr 2018
- Book
How to Be a Rebel Leader
In the book Rebel Talent, Francesca Gino argues companies should encourage rebellion in their workplaces. Quiz: Discover what type of rebel you really are. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Apr 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Is Overconfidence a Motivated Bias? Experimental Evidence
People are most at risk of making overly positive self-assessments when their assessment criteria are not clearly defined. Yet, even within ambiguous domains, providing clearly defined criteria for what makes a productive employee, an effective leader, and an efficient team, may help people better calibrate their self-perceptions with reality.
- 20 Sep 2017
- Research & Ideas
The Three Types of Leaders Who Create Radical Change
Every successful social movement requires three distinct leadership roles: the agitator, the innovator, and the orchestrator, according to institutional change expert Julie Battilana. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Apr 2017
- Op-Ed
Op-Ed: Courage: The Defining Characteristic of Great Leaders
Courageous leaders inspire employees, energize customers, and position their companies on the front lines of societal change. Bill George explains why there aren't more of them. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
Here’s How Businessman Trump Is Likely to Approach the Presidency
Harvard Business School professors weigh in on how Donald Trump’s nearly 50 years of experience in building a global corporate empire (and zero years of political experience) might shape his approach to leading a nation. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Aug 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
CEO Personality and Firm Policies
This study analyzes the linguistic content of the Q&A portion of more than 70,000 conference calls in order to explore the relationship between individual traits of senior executives, the investment and financing choices made by these executives, and firm performance. Among the findings, openness is positively associated with R&D intensity and negatively associated with net leverage. Conscientiousness is negatively associated with growth. In performance tests, extraversion is negatively associated with both contemporaneous and future return on assets and cash flow.
- 08 Aug 2016
- Lessons from the Classroom
Panic Management: Keep Your Eyes on the Road
Many of us respond with a knee-jerk reaction when adversity hits, but a more considered approach is better for a successful resolution. Joshua Margolis discusses the resilience regimen. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 06 Jul 2016
- Research & Ideas
The Truth About Authentic Leaders
Is "Be yourself" terrible advice for a leader? Bill George, the creator of the "authentic leadership" approach to management, answers critics and outlines the path for executives to be more effective. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Jun 2016
- Lessons from the Classroom
That's Classic: Modern-Day Business Lessons from Ancient Rome
What can MBAs learn from the Roman emperors Tiberius and Claudius? All Roads Lead to Rome, a course taught by HBS professor Frances Frei and Harvard history and classics professor Emma Dench, surfaces insights into the age-old issue of leadership. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership
The Stockdale Paradox and survival psychology contain wisdom for how leaders can manage the coronavirus crisis, according to Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.