Leadership

This is the fourth in HBR’s series of interviews with some of the world’s recognized leaders—individuals who have led not a company but a country. Each leader illuminates something different about the subject of leadership: the quality of thinking, the sense of responsibility, the style of management. The qualities of the individuals vary, in part […]

Researchers found that it supersedes charisma, influence, power, personality, attractiveness, and genius.

When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision--the qualities traditionally...

Beware of performative allyship.

Executives are often confounded by culture, because much of it is anchored in unspoken behaviors, mindsets, and social patterns. But when properly managed,...

The would-be analyst of leadership usually studies popularity, power, showmanship, or wisdom in long-range planning. But none of these qualities is the...

Understanding why you're in the room is more important than being the smartest one in it.

Debunking three common misconceptions.

In the face of rapid, disruptive change, companies are realizing that managers can't be expected to have all the answers and that command-and-control...

Stop thinking about your tasks and start talking about your vision.

New CEOs are typically focused on creating and implementing a strategy, building a top team, and driving culture change. Optimizing administrative workflow...

Many executives believe that all failure is bad (although it usually provides lessons)-and that learning from it is pretty straightforward. The author,...

Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that's based on complexity science. The result is the Cynefin framework,...

Over the past decade, I have watched more than 100 companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors. They have included large organizations (Ford) and small ones (Landmark Communications), companies based in the United States (General Motors) and elsewhere (British Airways), corporations that were on their knees (Eastern Airlines), and companies that were earning […]

Real-life coaching sessions with leaders working to overcome professional challenges.

The author, whose biography of Steve Jobs was an instant best seller after the Apple CEO's death in October 2011, sets out here to correct what he perceives...

Organizations are political structures which provide platforms for the expression of individual interests, and which revolve around the accumulation of...

It’s far more than just being nice.

In recent decades sweeping reengineering, digitization, and agile initiatives--and lately the move to remote work--have dramatically transformed the job...

Great leaders tap into the needs and fears we all share. Great managers, by contrast, perform their magic by discovering, developing, and celebrating what’s different about each person who works for them. Here’s how they do it.

This case study of social innovation and entrepreneurship looks closely at the growth of a not-for-profit enterprise. Dans la rue was founded in 1988...

On August 30, 2019, the Ministry of Finance of the Government of India (GoI) announced the consolidation of ten nationalized banks into four. As part...

When the employees of a Kmart distribution center in Greensboro, North Carolina vote to unionize, they encounter difficulty in negotiating a contract...

Provides a management retrospective.

How should Canyon Ranch leverage its uniqueness in the face of increasing competition and an entrenched customer definition of the firm? The firm is attempting...

This case provides a succinct account of the high profile failure of the Clinton Administration's initiative to reorganize the US health care and health...

Describes the decision-making process employed by President George W. Bush's War Cabinet in the days following the September 11th terrorist attacks. Examines...

In 2014, as the firm celebrated its ten-year anniversary, Jia started to take an interest in the sharing economy that was sweeping China. He was intrigued...

In early 2018, the time seemed right for Zenefits investor and director Lars Dalgaard to reflect on whether Zenefits had the right board of directors...

In the early 1990s, the company now known as Gildan Activewear was a small children's wear firm with revenues of $40 million. Its competition, legendary...

Stay on top of your leadership game. Leadership isn't something you're born with or gifted as a reward for an abundance of charisma; true leadership stems...

This case describes the crisis of a small deteriorating zoo located in a small community in an economically depressed region. The key decision point is...

The case traces the growth of Asian Paints Limited ("APL") from being a small paint manufacturer in 1942 into the undisputed leader of the Indian paints...

This case tells the story of Alain St-Pierre, fire captain and the most decorated firefighter in Montréal's history, from childhood through retirement....

Reconstructs the entrepreneurial journey of John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and one of the most famous business figures in history. Traces...

The classic Harvard Business Review articles every manager and aspiring leader should read--and share with their teams--from such bestselling Harvard...

Two members of Nike's executive team must decide what sustainability targets to propose to Nike's CEO and to the corporate responsibility committee of...

Teaches the evolution of the corporate strategy of Sharp Corp., Japan. Sharp Corp., a second-tier assembler of TV sets and home appliances, gradually...

Maple Leaf Foods is a leading global food processing company with operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. The CEO and vice-president...

Geoff Smart, founder and CEO of ghSMART & Co., wanted to build ghSMART into the #1 management-assessment firm for CEOs and investors. However, he had...

This is the fourth in HBR’s series of interviews with some of the world’s recognized leaders—individuals who have led not a company but a country. Each leader illuminates something different about the subject of leadership: the quality of thinking, the sense of responsibility, the style of management. The qualities of the individuals vary, in part […]

Researchers found that it supersedes charisma, influence, power, personality, attractiveness, and genius.

When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision--the qualities traditionally...

Beware of performative allyship.

Executives are often confounded by culture, because much of it is anchored in unspoken behaviors, mindsets, and social patterns. But when properly managed,...

The would-be analyst of leadership usually studies popularity, power, showmanship, or wisdom in long-range planning. But none of these qualities is the...

Understanding why you're in the room is more important than being the smartest one in it.

Debunking three common misconceptions.

In the face of rapid, disruptive change, companies are realizing that managers can't be expected to have all the answers and that command-and-control...

Stop thinking about your tasks and start talking about your vision.