HBR On Leadership

What is the real definition of efficiency in a world powered by AI? What if it was quality, not quantity? Neuroscientist Mithu Storoni has researched how and when our brains are the most creative and truly productive at knowledge work. In this conversation, she shares how we can train our brains to be more effective at doing work that really matters. She explains how our brains tackle different kinds of work, how we can better schedule our days to align with those states of mind, and what this all means for leaders and organizations. Storoni is the author of the book Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work.

Key episode topics include: leadership and managing people, entrepreneurs and founders, innovation, organizational culture, corporate strategy, succession planning

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Training Your Brain to Work More Effectively
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Communicating clearly sets you up to have the leadership impact and influence you need to drive change. But what if you’re running on empty? Expressing your ideas and giving direction when you’re sleep-deprived, burned out, or simply overwhelmed can feel nearly impossible. So, what helps? Leadership development coach Muriel Wilkins, author of Leadership Unblocked and host of the podcast Coaching Real Leaders, talks us through communication techniques that meet you where you’re at mentally and emotionally so that you can rise to the moment (even when you’re worried you can’t).

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing yourself, business communication, personal resilience, leading teams
● Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Communicating Effectively When You’re Running on Empty
● Find more episodes of Women at Work
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Your company changes. Your role gets eliminated. A dream project gets assigned to someone else. These are examples of the kinds of difficult change that are inevitable in life, but few of us have the skills to navigate well. But there are lessons from psychology that can help us be more resilient. Dr. Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, shares ideas that can help you understand, react, reframe, and better adapt to change in life or work. She offers evidence-based strategies for how leaders can build resilience in the face of personal, organizational, and technological upheaval while also finding paths to growth and learning. Shankar is author of the book The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing yourself, change management, psychology, personal resilience, career transitions, personal growth and transformation

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Cognitive Science Behind Sudden Change
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Once you’ve committed to a leadership role—whether formally or informally—getting everyone else at work to buy in requires relationship management. The steps to transition from individual contributor to leader can seem daunting, especially when so many aspects of work and the world are in a constant state of flux. How do you successfully shift the role you’re playing on your team? What sorts of conversations help clear the way? Is this transformation harder to make if you work remotely? To address these questions and more, we revisit a 2019 Women at Work interview with leadership development experts Amy Jen Su and Muriel M. Wilkins. They co-wrote the book Own the Room, and Wilkins is the author of the new book Leadership Unblocked.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing yourself, leadership development, personal growth and transformation, business communication

● Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Becoming a Leader When Everything Is Shifting
● Find more episodes of Women at Work
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Johnson Security Bureau is one of the oldest Black-owned security firms in the United States, providing services to New York-area banks, public works, hospitals, transportation facilities, and other industries. The company had been handed down across three generations and its status as a woman-owned, minority-owned firm had been part its competitive strategy since CEO Jessica Johnson-Cope took over the firm from her father.

In order to grow the business, however, Johnson-Cope considered partnering with security firms in other states, something that threatened to put some of the company’s founding priorities on the back burner. She also considered expanding the business into cybersecurity.

In this conversation with host Brian Kenny, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Henry McGee and CEO Jessica Johnson-Cope discuss the leadership dilemmas at the heart of the case “Johnson Security Bureau: Building Multigenerational Success.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, family businesses, entrepreneurs and founders, strategic thinking, growth strategy, scaling entrepreneurial ventures

● Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Scaling a Family Business While Maintaining Founding Values
● Find more episodes of Cold Call
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Most organizations struggle to kill initiatives, even those that no longer support their strategy. Leadership consultants Rose Hollister and Michael Watkins explore the problem of initiative overload and how it can trickle down to employees who are already dealing with more projects than they can handle or do well. They offer practical tips on how to truly prioritize your company’s most important initiatives—or risk losing top talent. Hollister and Watkins are the authors of the 2018 HBR article “Too Many Projects.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, project management, time management, product management.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Stop Initiative Overload
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

There’s nothing easy about being a manager today. But for team leaders who are feeling burnt out or overwhelmed with their job, workplace strategist Daisy Auger-Domínguez has advice on how to regain some of your joy at work. She recommends various techniques to incorporate optimism and well-being into your role. They include remembering your purpose, embracing a beginner’s mindset, keeping a folder of positive feedback as inspiration, and celebrating the contributions of team members. Auger-Domínguez is a workplace strategist, global people leader, and the author of the HBR article “Finding Joy as a Manager—Even on Bad Days.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, motivation, managing yourself, stress management, personal resilience

• Listen to the original HBRIdeaCast episode: Here’s How Managers Can Rediscover Their Joy at Work
• Find more episodes of HBRIdeaCast 
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org 

After running Yum! Brands, which includes well-known chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, David Novak wanted to help others become better leaders. He believes the key is to put learning at the center of everything you do, whether you’re an entry-level worker or a C-suite executive. Novak outlines three main areas for learning and offers ideas on how the most effective leaders turn their learnings into action, something that takes insight and practice. Novak wrote the book How Leaders Learn: Master the Habits of the World’s Most Successful People.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, managing yourself, leadership development, strategic thinking, organizational learning

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Yum! Brands’ Former CEO on Why You Should Never Stop Learning
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

If a company starts to veer off track, whether amid technological change, marketplace conditions, or otherwise, it is daunting to get back on a path to growth. But big turnarounds are possible, provided you have the right team and mindset. When he was president and CEO of Marvel, Peter Cuneo oversaw the resurgence and sale of the media company, but even before that he had a long track record for turning around many types of consumer-facing businesses at brands from Clairol to Black & Decker. He shares the strategies that work best for shaking up organizations and teams and boosting their performance.

Key episode topics include: leadership, transformation, leading teams, strategy, change management, organizational restructuring

Listen to the original HBRIdeaCast episode: Lessons From a Turnaround Expert
Find more episodes of HBRIdeaCast
Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Every company has an origin story, which goes on to inform its culture. Phil Knight, co-founder, former CEO, and Chairman Emeritus of Nike, recounts starting the sports apparel and equipment giant after taking an entrepreneurship class at Stanford and teaming up with his former track coach, Bill Bowerman. Together, they changed how running shoes are designed and made. In this conversation from 2017, Knight reflects on the company’s enduring culture of innovation, as well as the company’s succession process for the CEO role.

Key episode topics include: leadership and managing people, entrepreneurs and founders, innovation, organizational culture, corporate strategy, succession planning

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Nike’s Co-founder on Innovation, Culture, and Succession
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

Stories and storytelling are at the core of many aspects of the corporate world. Consider a great brand campaign or the ability to sell yourself in a job interview. It’s also an extremely important skill for managers who want to win support for new strategies and initiatives—or change their company’s culture.

Jay Barney, a professor at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, studied leaders who successfully led culture change and found one thing in common: they created and spread authentic and memorable stories. The new stories then emanated throughout the workforce and rewrote the old narrative. Barney explains the six rules leaders need to follow to drive cultural change with storytelling. He’s a coauthor, with Manoel Amorim and Carlos Júlio, of The Secret of Culture Change: How to Build Authentic Stories That Transform Your Organization and the 2023 HBR article “Create Stories That Change Your Company’s Culture.”

Key episode topics include: leadership and managing people, leading teams, change management, business communication, organizational culture, corporate strategy

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: If You Want Culture Change, Create New Stories
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Around the world, we’ve become increasingly cynical about other people, public institutions, and corporations. Back in 2022, Edelman’s Trust Barometer found that nearly 60% of respondents across 27 countries reported that their default is to distrust. And that’s bad for business, says Stanford University associate professor of psychology Jamil Zaki. He says that cynics damage trust, and in workplaces they breed toxicity and lead to poor outcomes. He explains how to identify and change this kind of behavior at your organization. Zaki wrote the HBR article, “Don’t Let Cynicism Undermine Your Workplace.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing yourself, leading teams, emotional intelligence
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• Listen to the original HBRIdeaCast episode: Is Cynicism Ruining Your Organization?
• Find more episodes of HBRIdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Companies of every size in every industry and part of the world are basing more of their work around projects. And yet research shows that nearly two-thirds of those efforts fail. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, who has studied projects and project management for decades, explains how we can do better. He offers advice on the right way to frame projects, how to structure organizations around them, and pitfalls to avoid. Nieto-Rodriguez is the author of the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook and author of the article “The Project Economy Has Arrived.”

Key episode topics include: project management, operations strategy, organizational change

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Future of Work Is Projects—So You’ve Got to Get Them Right
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Wayne Baker, professor emeritus at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, has spent much of his career researching the best way to effectively ask for help at work. Whether you’re soliciting support on a tricky assignment or more resources for your team, it can feel uncomfortable to approach bosses and colleagues with hat in hand. But we rarely get what we need or want without asking for it. Baker highlights some of the most effective strategies for defining your goal, figuring out who to ask, and crafting your message so it will be positively received. He is also the author of the book All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success.

Key episode topics include: emotional intelligence, power and influence, managing yourself

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Art of Asking for (and Getting) Help
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Eugene Soltes, professor at Harvard Business School, studies white-collar crime and has even interviewed convicts behind bars. While most people think of high-profile scandals like Enron, he says every sizable organization has lapses in integrity. He shares practical tools for managers to identify pockets of ethical violations to prevent them from ballooning into serious reputational and financial damage. Soltes is the author of the HBR article “Where Is Your Company Most Prone to Lapses in Integrity?”

Key episode topics include: business ethics, risk management, business management, cross-cultural management, organizational culture

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Stopping White-Collar Crime at Your Company
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Leading people across countries and time zones means dealing with communication gaps and friction that can easily throw a team off course. Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School, explains why global teams are especially vulnerable to misunderstandings and why leaders often don’t realize there’s a problem until collaboration starts to suffer. She has advice for getting everyone to understand one another so that they have enough trust and context to contribute fully.

Key episode topics include: collaboration and teams, cross-cultural management, leading teams

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Communicate Better with Your Global Team
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

We all know that leaders need to captivate audiences and effectively convey their ideas. But not every speaking opportunity can be prepared and practiced. That’s why it’s so important to learn the skill of speaking off-the-cuff, and Matt Abrahams, lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and host of the podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, has advice to help. He explains how to stay calm in these situations, craft a compelling message, and ensure you’ve made a good impression. Abrahams is author of the book Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot as well as the HBR article “How to Shine When You’re Put on the Spot.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, public speaking, business communication, interpersonal communication, managing yourself

Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Improve Your Impromptu Speaking
Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.hbr.org

If you’re feeling distracted, mentally fogged, and unable to pay attention to the task at hand, you’re not alone. The human brain is highly susceptible to often unproductive mind-wandering, and modern technology has only made the problem worse. But we all know that the best work comes when you’re able to really zero in on an idea or problem for a sustained period of time. So, we need better strategies for blocking out the external and internal noise. Dr. Amishi Jha, a neuroscientist and professor of psychology at the University of Miami and the author of Peak Mind, offers recommendations based on studies of people in some of the most high-pressure jobs in the world.

Key episode topics include: Leadership, psychology, neuroscience, managing yourself

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Find Focus in a Chaotic World
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Jonah Berger, professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, says that most of us aren’t approaching persuasion the right way. Pushing people to behave how you’d like them to or believe the same things you do just doesn’t work, no matter how much data you give or how many emotional appeals you make. Studying both psychology and business, he’s found better tactics for bringing people over to your side. One of the keys? Asking questions so people feel like they’re making the decision to change. Berger is the author of the book The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind.

Key episode topics include:

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Mastering the Art of Persuasion
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Nathan Furr, professor of strategy at INSEAD, researches what makes great innovative leaders, and he reveals how they develop and spend “innovation capital.” Like social or political capital, it’s a power to motivate employees, win the buy-in of stakeholders, and sell breakthrough products. Furr argues that innovation capital is something everyone can develop and grow by using something he calls “impression amplifiers.” Furr is the coauthor of the book Innovation Capital: How to Compete—and Win—Like the World’s Most Innovative Leaders.

Key episode topics include: leadership, innovation, power and influence, persuasion

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast: Why You Need Innovation Capital — And How to Get It
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Anne Curzan, English professor at the University of Michigan, studies the evolution of language. While many of us roll our eyes at bizspeak—from synergy to value-add to operationalize—Curzan defends business jargon. She says the words we say around the office speak volumes about our organizations and our working relationships. She shares how to use jargon more deliberately, explains the origin of some annoying or amusing buzzwords, and discusses how English became the global business language and how that could change.

Key episode topics include: business communication, leadership, organizational culture

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Business Jargon Isn’t All Bad
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

In this Coaching Real Leaders session, a leader who has worked in the higher education sector for decades seeks guidance on how to set direction and maintain momentum for her team when so much of their long-term work depends on shifting priorities and partners outside of her control. As she steps into her first role managing managers, she’s unsure how fast to push, how to divide her time, and how to judge progress when the path ahead isn’t fully defined.

Host Muriel Wilkins helps her sort through those questions, identify what she can move forward now, and build confidence in her ability to lead with clarity even when the future is still taking shape.

Key episode topics include: career coaching, career planning, strategy execution, leading teams

● Listen to the original Coaching Real Leaders episode: How Do I Set the Right Pace To Meet Our Strategic Goals?
● Find more episodes of Coaching Real Leaders
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Corey Phelps, the dean of Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, says great problem solvers are hard to find. Even seasoned professionals at the highest levels of organizations regularly fail to identify the real problem and instead jump to exploring solutions. Phelps identifies the common traps and outlines a research-proven method to solve problems effectively. He’s the coauthor of the book Cracked It! How to Solve Big Problems and Sell Solutions Like Top Strategy Consultants.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, strategy

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Right Way to Solve Complex Business Problems
● Find more episodes of the HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Communicating clearly and persuasively sets you up to have the impact and influence you’re after. But what if you’re running on empty or under a lot of stress? Expressing your ideas and giving direction when you’re time-strapped, overwhelmed, or exhausted can feel nearly impossible. Add to that, having to deliver a message you don’t agree with. So, what then?

Leadership development coach Muriel Wilkins talks us through communication techniques that meet you where you’re at mentally and emotionally so that you can rise to the moment (even when you’re worried you can’t).

Key episode topics include: leadership, interpersonal communication, difficult conversations, management communication

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Communicating Effectively When You’re Running on Empty
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more atorg

If you’re thinking about scaling an initiative, an innovation, a strategy, or even a successful part of your company culture, Bob Sutton has advice for how to face this difficult leadership challenge. He’s an organizational psychologist who’s taught management science at Stanford for more than 40 years. Along with his colleague Huggy Rao, he’s studied leaders who’ve scaled something successfully, as well as those who’ve failed at it. In doing so, they identified the habits that help spread what works and the patterns that keep early wins from catching on.

In this 2014 conversation with former HBR editor-at-large Julia Kirby, Sutton shares insights from Scaling Up Excellence, the book he co-wrote with Rao. Together, they explain how to expand what’s working at your company without letting growth dilute your success.

Key episode topics include: leadership, entrepreneurial business strategy, change management, organizational culture

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Getting Excellence to Spread
• Find more episodes of the HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

For business leaders, the struggle between efficiency and innovation is constant. How do businesses meet their customers’ needs while also developing new and improved products and services? And how do you avoid letting people’s biases and entrenched behaviors get in the way?

In the article “Why Design Thinking Works” from the September-October 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review, author Jeanne Liedtka of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business writes: “the structure of design thinking creates a natural flow from research to rollout.”

She explains how this clear process helps teams break free of a variety of human tendencies that get in the way of innovation. “Most humans are driven by a fear of mistakes, so they focus more on preventing errors than on seizing opportunities,” she writes. “They opt for inaction rather than action when a choice risks failure. But there is no innovation without action—so psychological safety is essential. The physical props and highly formatted tools of design thinking deliver that sense of security, helping would-be innovators move more assuredly through the discovery of customer needs, idea generation, and idea testing.

In this episode, we bring you the narrated version of Liedtka’s article. 

• Browse more articles about design thinking in the HBR archive
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor at Harvard Business School, believes the world demands a new kind of business leader. She says so-called “advanced leaders” work inside and outside their companies to tackle big issues such as climate change, public health, and social inequality. She gives real-life examples and explains how business leaders can harness their experience, networks, innovative approaches, and the power of their organizations to solve challenging problems. Kanter is the author of the book Think Outside the Building: How Advanced Leaders Can Change the World One Small Innovation at a Time.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Business Leaders Should Solve Problems Beyond Their Companies
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Even the most carefully worded and meticiously reviewed contracts can fall apart once they hit the reality of modern business dynamics. Oliver Hart, Nobel-winning Harvard economist, and Kate Vitasek, faculty at the University of Tennessee, argue that, when it comes to contracts, one side often ends up feeling like they’re getting a bad deal, and it can spiral into a tit for tat battle. Hart and Vitasek say that companies should instead consider so-called relational contracts. Their research shows that creating a general playbook built around principles like fairness and reciprocity offers greater benefits to both businesses. Hart and Vitasek, with the Swedish attorney David Frydlinger, cowrote the article “A New Approach to Contracts.”

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Inherent Failures of Long-Term Contracts — and How to Fix Them   
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

It’s tough to keep a team motivated when the strategy from the top keeps shifting. That’s the challenge facing a leader in a large global organization. He’s been geting positive feedback on his work, but he’s having trouble leading his team amid conflicting priorities and without direction from his senior leaders. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches him through how he can help his team have organizational impact, with or without more clarity from above.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How Do I Lead My Team without Strategic Direction from the Top?
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org
• Read Muriel Wilkin’s new book, Leadership Unblocked, out October 28th: leadershipunblocked.com

Harvard Business School’s Stefan Thomke says running experiments can give companies tremendous value, but too often business leaders still make decisions based on intuition. With the right approach, even small firms can get a competitive advantage from the right kinds of tests. He explains how to introduce, run, and learn from experiments, as well as how to cultivate the right mindset at your organization. Thomke is the author of the book Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments and the HBR article “Building a Culture of Experimentation.”

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How to Set Up—and Learn—from Experiments
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Jennifer Riel, an adjunct professor at the Rotman School of Management, presents a model way to solve problems: integrative thinking. It enables leaders to move beyond either-or decisions to make stronger choices. She gives examples from the film industry to show how CEOs have put the process to work. Riel is the co-author, along with Roger Martin, of the book Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Transcending Either-Or Decision Making
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Leslie K. John and Alison Wood Brooks, professors at Harvard Business School, say people in business can be more successful by asking more and better questions. They talk through what makes for a great question, whether you’re looking to get information or get someone to like you. They’re the coauthors of the article, “The Surprising Power of Questions,” in the May–June 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Key episode topics include: business communication, persuasion, behavioral science, decision making and problem solving

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Ask Better Questions
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
● Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Being on a board is a chance to grow—your mind, your skills, your network, your impact. It’s also another time commitment to fit in, and, for some women, another environment where they have to fight to be heard. So, is the payoff worth the effort?

Yes, according to the eight women who volunteered to speak about their experience serving on boards of companies, nonprofits, and schools. They share how they landed a seat, gained confidence in the role, and found unexpected personal and professional benefits in the work. We hope that their perspectives and advice will inspire you to consider trying it yourself some day.

Ellen Zane, who runs a Harvard workshop for women interested in board work, provides further insight based on her years of experience as a director for nonprofits and private and public companies.

Key episode topics include:

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Ever Consider Joining a Board?
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at org

Do you need a career makeover? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Dorie Clark, the author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future. They talk through how to change your coworkers’ perception of you, transition to a role outside your area of expertise, or be seen as a leader.

Key episode topics include: career planning, managing yourself, professional networks

• Listen to the original Dear HBR: episode: Personal Rebranding
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR:
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Mark Mortensen, a professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, discusses the research on “multiteaming”—when employees work not only across multiple projects, but multiple teams. It has significant benefits at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Among them: multiteaming saves money. The cost—stretched employees—is hard to see. And that is where the tension, and the risk, lies. Mortensen is the co-author, with Heidi K. Gardner, of “The Overcommitted Organization” in the September–October 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Key episode topics include: collaboration and teams, leading teams, business management, organizational restructuring

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How to Fix “Team Creep”
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Changing jobs is hard. Changing sectors is daunting. You’ve built a network, a reputation, skills, expertise, a firm grasp of how that industry operates. Maybe you even got a related degree or two! And to just leave all that behind…except that, you really are stuck or unfulfilled or simply underpaid.

When it comes to shifting your career, the stakes are high, but so is your potential to succeed. Executive coach Nina Bowman regularly guides people through the process, with all of its uncertainty, time commitment, strategizing, and storytelling. Amy Bernstein speaks with her about making a bold mid-career leap, including how to identify a new path, build connections to land interviews, and tell the story of how you’ll find success in a completely different role.

Then, two listeners who made bold leaps themselves—one from academia to tech, the other from government to consulting—share their experiences and insights.

Key episode topics include: career transitions, career planning, professional networks

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: https://hbr.org/podcast/2024/12/how-to-leap-mid-career-from-one-industry-to-another
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at org

Imagine you’re leading a small organization, but you’re struggling to recruit and afford the senior talent you need to grow. You could hire a part-time executive. So-called “fractional leadership” is common in startups and is spreading to other businesses and nonprofits. But while a fast-growing number of senior leaders seek this work arrangement, many companies are unsure of how to go about it.

Tomoko Yokoi and Amy Bonsall are experts on the practice. Yokoi is a researcher at the TONOMUS Global Center for Digital and AI Transformation at IMD Business School. Bonsall is a former executive at IDEO and Old Navy who works as a part-time chief product officer with several organizations. They explain when and how fractional leadership works best—for the individual as well as the organization—and how to do it right. Yokoi and Bonsall wrote the HBR article “How Part-Time Senior Leaders Can Help Your Business.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, human resource management, hiring and recruitment, talent management, entrepreneurial management

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Growing Trend of Part-Time Executives
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at org

No matter how ambitious and talented you are, rising up and out of mid-level management can be slow going for reasons beyond your control. Maybe it’s because your company doesn’t have a business need—or budget—to upgrade your job title and salary from senior to executive. Or maybe it’s because the person in the position you want has been there forever—and has no plans to leave any time soon.

Still, there are plenty of factors that you can control, and cohost Amy Bernstein and her three guests cover them in this episode. Leadership development coach Cynthia Pong first validates the challenges of scoring a position that’s scarce. Then, Lauren Reyes and Megan Bock, both COOs whose careers stagnated in mid-level management before accelerating again, recount the conversations, decisions, and networking that jump-started them

Key episode topics include: leadership, career planning, career transitions, networking, gender, personal growth and transformation

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Rising from Middle to Senior Management
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at org

CEOs get a ton of credit or blame for a company’s performance. But the entire leadership team is vital to success, and any dysfunction is often overlooked. Sometimes the CEOs leading them don’t even see that they’re not working. Thomas Keil, management professor at the University of Zurich, and Marianna Zangrillo, a partner at The Next Advisors, have interviewed more than 100 CEOs and senior executives. Their research identifies three main types of failing leadership teams: shark tanks, petting zoos, and mediocracies. And they identify the pitfalls of each pattern and how to turn those teams around. Keil and Zangrillo wrote the HBR article “Why Leadership Teams Fail.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, teams, strategy execution, decision making and problem solving, managing people, change management

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: “Dysfunctional Leadership Teams — and How to Fix Them”
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org

Does your organization lack quality leadership? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Peter Bregman, the CEO of Bregman Partners and author of the book Leading with Emotional Courage. They talk through what to do when your leaders are indecisive, unprofessional, or value the wrong things.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, organizational culture, emotional intelligence

• Listen to the original Dear HBR: episode: Ineffective Leaders
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR:.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at hbr.org.

Lots of people’s career timelines go something like this: graduate, get a job, get promoted, and keep climbing until you reach the top. Somewhere along the way, they go on autopilot—accepting each new role as it comes, without much thought. And before they know it, they’re positioned for the C-suite.

This is exactly what happened to Sarah, a woman who’s on the cusp of a C-level role. But like many leaders, she’s reached a point where the logical next step no longer aligns with what really motivates her. If you can relate, you’ll get a lot from this conversation on Coaching Real Leaders—where executive coach Muriel Wilkins helps Sarah figure out if the next step is truly right for her, or if it’s just the one she feels like she’s supposed to take.

Key episode topics include: career transitions, career coaching, leadership, CEOs, executives, promotions

• Listen to the original Coaching Real Leaders episode: Do I Really Want to Be a C-Suite Leader?
• Find more episodes of Coaching Real Leaders
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Disruption and transformation are the new normal in nearly every industry. So how do you stay ahead of the curve? Over the past four decades, Bonnie Hammer successfully adapted to massive changes in the media industry, rising from production assistant to leadership roles in broadcast, cable, and streaming. As the former vice chair of NBCUniversal, she has advice on how to get noticed, acquire the right skillsets, make smart decisions, and adjust to shifting corporate and market dynamics. She’s the author of the book 15 Lies Women Are Told at Work: …and the Truth We Need to Succeed.

Key episode topics include: career transitions, leadership, managing uncertainty, decision making, innovation, entertainment industry

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How to Navigate Change at Any Career Stage
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

When news breaks of a CEO succession, much of the attention is given to the new leader and how they will change the company. But new research shows that the leave-taking process of the outgoing chief executive is often mishandled, with negative impacts on succession and the organization. Rebecca Slan Jerusalim, an executive director at Russell Reynolds Associates, and Navio Kwok, a leadership advisor at RRA, say that boards are often surprised when a CEO gives notice, and they often make that person feel excluded during the handoff process. The researchers share stories from the front lines about CEO psychology, best practices for outgoing leaders and their boards, and broader lessons for effective transitions. Jerusalim and Kwok wrote the HBR article “The Vital Role of the Outgoing CEO.”

Key episode topics include: leadership transitions, succession planning, leadership, managing uncertainty, corporate communications, boards

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why We Should Pay More Attention to Departing CEOs
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

This month, we’ve been highlighting some of the best conversations from the 2025 HBR Leadership Summit held in April.

In today’s episode, Anish Shah, CEO of Mahindra Group, discusses the importance of purpose in driving profit. With businesses spanning automobiles, finance, real estate, agriculture, hospitality, digital renewables, and more, Mahindra Group is one of India’s largest and most prominent conglomerates. It employs over 260,000 people across more than one hundred countries.

In this conversation, Shah provides examples of Mahindra’s positive impact on communities. He shares his thoughts on navigating the current political and business environment and maintaining Mahindra’s mission-driven culture. He also explains how Mahindra is making a positive impact on communities, from educating children to empowering women to driving productivity in farming.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing uncertainty, sustainable business practices, corporate strategy, gender, mission statements

• Learn more about the HBR Leadership Summit (April 2025)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

This month, we’ve been highlighting some of the best conversations from the 2025 HBR Leadership Summit held in April.

In today’s episode, Janti Soeripto, CEO of Save the Children US, shares how the organization navigates overlapping global crises—from pandemics to war—while staying focused on its core mission: ensuring children survive and thrive. With 24,000 staff members working across 115 countries, Save the Children provides health, education, protection, emergency response, and advocacy services.

In this conversation with HBR editor at large Adi Ignatius, Soeripto draws on her experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. She offers hard-won lessons on leading with clarity, measuring impact in volatile environments, and remaining agile while never losing sight of mission—and why optimism and data must coexist. Despite significant cuts in government funding, Soeripto expresses confidence in private donors and emphasizes the importance of long-term investment in simple, life-saving solutions like fortified peanut butter to combat child malnutrition.

Whether you’re in philanthropy, business, or leadership of any kind, this episode will leave you thinking differently about what it takes to lead with both urgency and hope.

Key episode topics include: managing uncertainty, social and global issues, agile project management, nonprofit organizations, operations and supply chain management, leadership styles, developing countries

• Learn more about the HBR Leadership Summit (April 2025)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

This month, we’re highlighting some of the best conversations from the 2025 HBR Leadership Summit held in April. In this episode, David Risher, CEO of Lyft, shares how he’s driving a turnaround at the rideshare company by anchoring everything in customer obsession. Since Risher took the wheel in 2023, Lyft reached record bookings and a 31% increase in annual revenue and its first full year of profitability.

Risher shares how his own experience behind the wheel as a Lyft driver informs product innovation. And why listening deeply—whether to a single passenger or a room of drivers—can lead to breakthrough ideas. He also opens up about navigating layoffs, launching inclusive features, and preparing for an autonomous future while keeping human dignity front and center.

Key episode topics include: customer experience, innovation, technology and analytics, listening skills, change management, employee engagement, competitive advantage, strategy

• Learn more about the HBR Leadership Summit (April 2025)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Over the next four weeks, we’re highlighting some of the best conversations from the 2025 HBR Leadership Summit held in April. In this episode, Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, shares her leadership approach to scaling one of the world’s largest online travel companies. From pioneering the use of AI in customer experience and internal operations to reimagining hybrid work and gender diversity, she shares how she’s steering a global company through rapid change and geopolitical uncertainty. She discusses her emphasis on hiring for integrity, competence, and curiosity, and outlines how AI is embedded throughout the business—from resume screening and customer personalization to employee training and product development.

Key episode topics include: leadership, hiring and recruitment, motivating people, developing employees, AI and machine learning, gender, diversity and inclusion, managing uncertainty, growth strategy, innovation

• Learn more about the HBR Leadership Summit (April 2025)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Sydney Finkelstein, a professor of management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, encourages leaders to approach their direct reports like teachers. As Finkelstein explains, being a teacher-leader means continually meeting face to face with employees to communicate lessons about professionalism, points of craft, and life. He says it’s easy to try and that teaching is one of the best ways to motivate people and improve their performance. Finkelstein is the author of “The Best Leaders Are Great Teachers” in the January–February 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Key episode topics include:, leadership, mentoring, motivating people, developing employees, coaching, careers, managing people, performance management

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Leaders Should Make a Habit of Teaching
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

People management consists of a fair amount of mediation and diplomacy, and you can’t expect to get the hang of it right away. You’re in the middle of a lot now. Initiating difficult conversations, and then getting all the way through them, takes planning and practice (and sometimes even a breather). Holding tension takes restraint.

Amy Bernstein and Kelsey Alpaio interview Amy Gallo about the types of conflict that new managers should expect to handle, as well as options for responding. They talk through real experiences and common scenarios. Like that time Kelsey needed to tell a direct report they were falling short of her expectations (but didn’t end up saying anything). Or that time Amy G started reporting to a friend. They also give guidance for intervening or not when team members are arguing and for discreetly clueing your group in about the office politics going on.

Key episode topics include: managing conflicts, interpersonal skills, interpersonal communication, difficult employees, hard conversations, leadership

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Conflict
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Few leaders have been trained to ask great questions. That might explain why they tend to be good at certain kinds of questions, and less effective at other kinds. Unfortunately, that hurts their ability to pursue strategic priorities. Arnaud Chevallier, strategy professor at IMD Business School, explains how leaders can break out of that rut and systematically ask five kinds of questions: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. He shares real-life examples of how asking the right sort of question at a key time can unlock value and propel your organization. With his IMD colleagues Frédéric Dalsace and Jean-Louis Barsoux, Chevallier wrote the HBR article “The Art of Asking Smarter Questions.”

Key episode topics include: decision-making, problem solving, active listening, leadership strategic planning

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Are You Asking the Right Questions?
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Is your teamwork not working? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. They talk through what to do when your team isn’t communicating, doesn’t respect its leader, or has one employee who’s causing problems.

Key episode topics include: managing teams, managing difficult people, managing conflict, team dysfunction, organizational culture, communication styles, feedback, trust, employee performance management, leadership styles, leadership

• Listen to the original Dear HBR: episode: Dysfunctional Teams
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR:
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Frances Frei, professor at Harvard Business School, says that trust, empathy—and even a bit of tough love—are all essential ingredients to strong leadership in today’s world. Successful managers focus on the effect they have on others, not themselves. They also define a strategy and create a culture that drives employee behavior in their absence. Frei is the coauthor, along with Anne Morriss, of the book Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You as well as the HBR article “Begin with Trust.”

Key episode topics include: leadership styles, constructive criticism, feedback, trust, empathy, managing people, employee performance management, underperforming employees,

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Great Leaders Use Tough Love to Improve Performance
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Being too collaborative can actually hold you back at work, argues leadership coach Rebecca Shambaugh. Instead of showing how well you build consensus and work with others, it can look like indecision or failure to prioritize. She explains what to do if you over-collaborate, how to manage someone who does, and offers some advice for women—whose bosses are more likely to see them as overly consensus-driven. Shambaugh is the author of the books It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor and Make Room for Her.

Key episode topics include: leadership styles, collaboration, decision-making, problem solving

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Managing Someone Who’s Too Collaborative
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

In the past, executives were usually taught to practice command-and-control leadership. Today they’re often advised to be nimbler, more adaptive, and less controlling. The truth is that most executives need to be able to move back and forth between those two leadership styles. IMD leadership professor and social psychologist Jennifer Jordan offers tactics for navigating these tensions.

Key episode topics include: leadership styles, leadership qualities, management, managing people, VUCA, personal growth

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch to the original Quick Study video: 7 Key Tensions Every Leader Must Balance
• Find more videos on HBR’s YouTube channel: @HarvardBusinessReview
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Do you have an employee working against you? In this episode of HBR’s advice podcast, Dear HBR:, cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Adrian Gostick, an executive coach and the coauthor of Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results. They talk through what to do when your direct report is creating problems only to fix them, one team member is hoarding knowledge, or two employees have created a disruptive office clique.

Key episode topics include: difficult employees, conflict management, conflict resolution, managing people, management, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR: episode: Subversive Employees
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR:
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Many people blame the shortage of low-wage workers on the enduring impact of the pandemic. But management professor Joseph Fuller and senior researcher Manjari Raman of Harvard Business School say that the real reason has been long in the making. Their studies show that companies view low-wage workers as people who will be in the job only for a short time. Instead, the researchers find that these employees are loyal and want development and a clear path to career advancement. The researchers share practical suggestions for how leaders and managers can do better in hiring, development, and mentoring. Fuller and Raman wrote the HBR article “The High Cost of Neglecting Low-Wage Workers.”

Key episode topics include: career development, talent management, hiring, recruitment, promotions, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Stop Neglecting Low-Wage Workers
• Find more episodes of HBR Idea Cast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Over her career, Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten has studied crisis leadership and managing uncertainty. Her most recent book, The Prepared Leader, breaks down successful strategies for navigating crises—whether it’s a pandemic or a viral customer complaint. She taught leaders how to deal with these predicaments during a masterclass at HBR’s Future of Business Conference in 2023.

Key episode topics include: crisis management, managing uncertainty, leadership qualities, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Learn more about HBR’s “Future of Business” virtual conference (November 2023)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Getting taken seriously as a new manager is challenging for anyone. You can go from being friends with your peers to suddenly being their boss. It’s easy to make missteps, like playing the part too much—acting the way you think a manager is supposed to act. On the other hand, you may feel you have nothing to offer your direct reports, some of whom may have more experience than you. You may even fall back too much on what you already know well. These are common challenges in anyone’s first rodeo as a manager. But bias can make overcoming them especially difficult for women.

In this 2023 episode of Women at Work, as part of the “How to Manage” series, McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee discusses these challenges—and how to overcome them—with host Amy Bernstein and former HBR editor Kelsey Alpaio.  

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, management, personal growth, resilience, communication, gender

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Being Taken Seriously
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In the early 20th century, Helena Rubinstein defied gender, class, and cultural expectations to become one of the first pioneers of the modern beauty industry. Today, her namesake luxury cosmetics brand is worth more than $1 billion. Harvard Business School professor Geoff Jones wrote a case study about the visionary leader. He explored her journey—and the lasting impact she made on global beauty standards—on Cold Call in 2019 with host Brian Kenny.

Key episode topics include: gender, leadership, feminism, beauty industry, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial business strategy, marketing 

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: How Helena Rubinstein Used Tall Tales to Turn Cosmetics into a Luxury Brand
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

A CEO’s involvement in B2B sales deals, while often well-intentioned, can sometimes backfire.

INSEAD marketing professor Christoph Senn has spent years studying the role top leaders play in B2B relationships. In this episode, he shares the five archetypes of CEO behavior when it comes to sales, which ones are the most effective in closing a deal, and where they fall short.

You’ll learn what to do if your CEO is either overly involved—or not involved enough—in deals, and why knowing your CEO’s archetype can be helpful.

Senn is the coauthor, with Columbia Business School’s Noel Capon, of the HBR article “When CEOs Make Sales Calls.”

Key episode topics include: managing up, sales team management, client management, sales, leadership qualities, interpersonal communication,

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How CEOs Can Drive Sales — or Kill Deals
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

The best leaders know that a person’s skillset and their willingness to learn are more important than the degree they have. Ginni Rometty, former Chairman and CEO of IBM, understands this deeply. She spearheaded a company-wide shift to skills-based hiring and development during her tenure.

In this episode, Rometty shares how her mother’s commitment to education helped her family overcome adversity and inspired her personal approach to talent management. She also discusses why a skills-first mindset is critical to building resilient teams and organizations.

Key episode topics include: upskilling, continuous learning, personal growth, organizational culture, talent development, hiring and recruitment, talent management, leadership 

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: IBM’s Ginni Rometty on Skill-Building and Success
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

If you’re a leader or aspire to be one, you’ve probably thought about how you project confidence and competence—or, what some call your executive presence. It’s as much a vibe you give off as it is a skill you can develop. And it’s important to exhibit if you want to assure others you’re ready to lead.

Megan Bock, the COO of an insurance technology company, has mastered executive presence. And Laura Sicola is a cognitive linguist who coaches executives. In this episode, Bock and Sciola discuss the key elements of executive presence and offer advice to a listener who’s trying to develop it while working remotely.

Key episode topics include: public speaking, leadership qualities, gender, personal growth, remote work, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Executive Presence
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

In December 2020, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were deciding whether or not to commit to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans into stable, well-paid jobs over the next decade, as part of the OneTen coalition. But if Delta joined, Bastian faced a key challenge: how could he make the airline truly inclusive and create systemically equal access to career opportunities?

In this episode from 2023, Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill explains how Bastian shifted Delta’s talent architecture to prioritize skills over four-year degrees and how he created new apprenticeship programs to recruit entry-level employees. She also explains why Bastian prioritized front-line employees for internal promotions, instead of recruiting new talent externally.

Key episode topics include: leadership, hiring and recruitment, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, airline industry, talent, recruiting, career.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines (2023)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

How does critical feedback affect your team’s success? Researchers Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall argue that many managers invest too much energy in correcting weaknesses. Instead, they encourage leaders to focus on developing employees’ strengths. Buckingham and Goodall are the authors of the book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World and the HBR article “The Feedback Fallacy” In this episode, they explain how to lead more effective conversations about performance by focusing on what your team members do best.

Key episode topics include leadership, giving feedback, managing people, performance indicators.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: What Managers Get Wrong About Feedback (2019)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Many people believe that leaders instinctively make the best decisions based on past experience, almost like muscle memory. But Carol Kauffman, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Institute of Coaching, challenges this view. She explains why falling back on automatic behaviors can lead to poor decisions, especially when the stakes are high.

In this episode, Kauffman outlines her framework for sound decision-making in high-pressure situations. She also shares real-life stories of leaders she has coached through difficult decisions and offers insights into how to navigate high-stakes challenges effectively.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership styles, strategy, decision making and problem solving.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Leaders Should Rethink Their Decision-Making Process (2023)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

When Jason Buechel became CEO of Whole Foods in 2022, he faced the challenge of succeeding cofounder John Mackey, who led the company for over 40 years. This leadership transition was not only a personal challenge for Buechel but also a significant shift for the entire organization.

In this episode, Buechel tells Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius how he addressed employees’ concerns while preserving Whole Foods’ culture and core values. He also discusses his focus on internal leadership and strategies for supporting the company’s ongoing growth.

Key episode topics include: leadership, careers, leadership transitions, succession planning, Whole Foods, authenticity, culture. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• View to the original New World of Work episode: Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel on the Challenges and Opportunities of Following a Visionary Leader (2023)
• Find more episodes of the New World of Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Are you struggling to manage people who are older than you?

Lindsey Pollak explains that cross-generational dynamics in the workplace are becoming increasingly complex, driven by rapid technological advancements and longer career spans.

As a workplace expert and author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, Pollak addresses listener questions about motivating older direct reports and engaging senior employees who may be skeptical about new technology. She also offers practical advice for navigating situations where you’ve been promoted ahead of more experienced colleagues.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business communication, motivating people, age and generational issues, leading teams, leading across difference.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Managing Older Workers (2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

How can you tell if you’re on your company’s leadership fast track?

Jay Conger, a leadership professor at Claremont McKenna College, notes that many organizations quietly maintain and update lists of high-potential employees.

In this episode, he offers advice for what to do if you suspect you’re on the list. In addition, Conger shares his research on the five critical “X factors” that distinguish high-potential employees. Discover what these traits are and how you can leverage them to enhance your career.

Key episode topics include: leadership, career planning, developing employees, leadership development, talent management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Does Your Firm See You as a High Potential? (2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Being the most knowledgeable and experienced person on your team can seem advantageous. However, Sydney Finkelstein, an expert in leadership and talent development, warns that expertise can lead you astray in two significant ways: it may stifle your curiosity about new developments and foster overconfidence in your problem-solving abilities.

In this episode, Finkelstein explores these pitfalls and proposes a crucial supplement to expertise: the importance of becoming more humble and open-minded. He also offers research-backed advice on how to cultivate these qualities as a leader.

Finkelstein is a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and the author of the book Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, ambition, humility, listening skills, learning, Steve Jobs.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Avoiding the Expertise Trap (2019)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Oprah Winfrey isn’t just a public figure—she’s the wealthiest woman in the entertainment industry and the first African-American woman billionaire. But how did she rise from a daytime talk show host to a media mogul? What leadership skills did she develop along the way?

In this episode, Harvard Business School executive fellow Bill George explores the challenges Oprah faced on her path to success and how she overcame them. He explains how she shifted away from people-pleasing, found her unique voice, and embraced vulnerability as a key leadership strength.

Key episode topics include: leadership, entrepreneurship, race, media, TV, entertainment.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Black Business Leaders Series: Oprah’s Path to Authentic Leadership (2018)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

When you think of “office politics,” you might picture someone hoarding information or taking credit for others’ work. While negative stereotypes persist, learning to navigate office politics is crucial for leadership — and you can do it without sacrificing your principles or authenticity.

In this episode, organizational psychologist Madeleine Wyatt, along with a guest from the management consulting field, discusses how to become more politically savvy at work by mastering three essential skills: apparent sincerity, networking, and interpersonal influence.

Key episode topics include: leadership, office politics, power and influence, business services sector.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Playing Office Politics (2023)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

What makes a leader truly effective? Is it about strategic vision, time management, confidence?

Robert Steven Kaplan says the best leaders are exceptionally good at asking tough questions so they can make the right decisions. He is the author of the book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential.

He explains how to frame better questions to get the answers you need to make decisions. He also discusses how to use questions to clarify your key priorities and how to make sure you’re then spending your time in service of them.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing yourself, critical questions, decision-making, tough questions, analysis. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Key Questions for Leaders (2011)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

As CEO of Menlo Innovations, an enterprise software company based in Michigan, Sheridan deliberately focuses on cultivating joy in his company. His 2018 book, Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear, offers guidance for how to create joy at work — and why it’s so important for innovation.

He explains the difference between joy and happiness and how to harness joy in service of a larger project. He also discusses how, as a leader, you can model joy for your team and why joy and a culture of fear are incompatible.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, emotional intelligence.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How One CEO Creates Joy at Work (2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Are you stuck in a negative rut with someone at work?

HBR contributing editor and workplace conflict expert Amy Gallo says repairing a broken professional relationship will improve your work life — whether it’s your boss, a coworker, or even your employee.

In this episode, she breaks down the different types of relationship conflicts that are common at work and the steps you can take to move forward — starting with more empathy and less ego.

Key episode topics include: leadership, careers, managing conflicts, difficult conversations. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: Fixing a Broken Relationship at Work (2024)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Do you have an employee who just gets on your nerves?

In this episode, Dear HBR cohosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer listener questions with the help of Art Markman, former professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and now the school’s Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

They talk through how to manage someone who is difficult, overly polite, or passive aggressive. Markman also offers advice for how to give your initial feedback and then follow up. He also has tips for coaching an employee who needs to improve their communication skills.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, managing conflicts, difficult conversations.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Annoying Subordinates (2018)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Amid the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd’s murder in 2020, many U.S. business leaders promised to make workplaces more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. But these efforts have now slowed, and many DEI teams have faced cuts, and calls for anti-racist leadership have all but disappeared.

In this episode, James White, the former CEO of Jamba Juice, and his daughter and coauthor Krista White offer advice on how corporate leaders can promote lasting change in their organizations and society at large. They also discuss why it’s so important to engage middle managers in inclusion work—and how to do that.

James and Krista White are coauthors of the book Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World.

Key episode topics include: leadership, race, diversity and inclusion, leadership and managing people.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: DEI Isn’t Enough; Companies Need Anti-Racist Leadership (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Think of a large company you admire. What kind of leadership culture do they have — and how does that affect their ability to innovate?

If you went right to command-and-control leadership, you’re not alone. It’s a common approach to leading large organizations. But MIT Sloan School of Management researchers Deborah Ancona and Kate Isaacs argue that big organizations can be nimble if they have three types of leaders in the mix: entrepreneurial, enabling, and architecting.

In this episode, Ancona and Isaacs explain how some large organizations continually develop new talent by empowering employees to lead in their area of expertise and make choices about the projects to which they contribute. They also discuss the structures these companies have created to support leaders and their teams as they transition from hierarchical leadership to more autonomous ways of working.

Key episode topics include: leadership, innovation, business management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The 3 Types of Leaders of Innovative Companies (2019)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

What’s the best way to determine whether or not your business should engage on potentially controversial societal issues?

In this episode, Harvard Business School senior lecturer Hubert Joly explains how to create a process for decision-making around these issues, in collaboration with your board.

Joly wrote a case study based on his own time as chairman and CEO of electronics retailer Best Buy. When George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis in 2020, just a few miles from their global headquarters, Joly led the organization through weeks of unrest and protests in their community and within the firm.

The episode also offers lessons from other organizations, like Nike, Disney, and Starbucks, whose leaders have spoken out on issues related to racism and LGBTQ rights.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business ethics, social movements, corporate social responsibility.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Should Businesses Take a Stand on Societal Issues? (2024)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Do you know how your best employees feel about their work?

Are they actually engaged and motivated? Or are they already looking for a better opportunity? If so, what would it take to make them want to stay?

In this episode, you’ll learn how to retain your best employees for the long term, including tactics you can use to help the people you manage feel valued and respected. You’ll also learn what to do when a valuable employee says they have another job offer.

Key episode topics include: leadership, employee retention, career coaching, managing teams.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Retaining Talent (2022)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Joel Peterson has spent a career leading teams, building businesses, and managing people at every level. Along the way, he’s learned valuable lessons about the best ways to bring on new talent, as well as when and how to let people go.

Peterson is the former chairman of JetBlue Airways. He also teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

He shares his approach to hiring for top leadership positions and why it’s so important to slow down and take plenty of time with interviews. He also explains how he coaches new hires who are struggling and how he knows when it’s time to let someone go.

You’ll learn why Peterson says you shouldn’t wait for a “triggering event” to fire someone who’s not performing. And you’ll learn why he never outsources that difficult conversation to human resources.

Key episode topics include: leadership, dismissing employees, hiring and recruitment, managing people, difficult conversations, firing. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Rules for Effective Hiring — and Firing (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Knowing how to get people to listen to you is an important part of leadership.

But HBR contributing editor and workplace conflict expert Amy Gallo says being heard isn’t about how loud you say something. It’s about saying the right thing at the right time—in other words, it’s about having a communication strategy.

In this episode, Gallo offers research-based tips for how to lay the groundwork for your ideas. She also offers advice on how to manage your body language and what to watch out for in your counterpart’s body language as well.

Gallo cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

Key episode topics include: leadership, emotional intelligence, managing yourself, careers, communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: How to Get People to Listen to You (2024)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Harvard Business School senior lecturer Mark Roberge argues that every aspect of being an early-stage founder involves sales. But many founders lack an understanding of how to incorporates sales into their ventures.

Which sales candidate is a startup’s ideal first hire? What marketing channels are worth investing in? How aggressively should you align sales with customer success?

In this episode, you’ll learn how to hire for early sales roles, design compensation, and lay a strong foundation for a growing sales team.

Key episode topics include: leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, startups, entrepreneurial business strategy, pricing strategy, talent management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: What Founders Get Wrong about Sales and Marketing (2023)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Are you ready to be a manager?

In this episode, Ellen Van Oosten answers questions from listeners who are struggling to move into management.  She offers advice for what to do when you’ve been tapped for a managerial role, but you don’t want the job. She also discusses how to respond if your supervisor is blocking you from earning a promotion into management, and how you can make the move to manager even if you only have informal management experience.

Van Oosten is a professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve. She’s also a coauthor of the book, Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth.

Key episode topics include: leadership, careers, career transitions, managing people, coaching, growth.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Management Material (2020)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you think your organization is difficult to maneuver, consider the unique challenges of government leadership.

Former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker and his former chief of staff Steve Kadish faced many challenges during Baker’s time in office—perhaps most notably: the Covid-19 pandemic.

Looking back, they argue that running a government is often much harder than leading a private-sector company. For one thing, Baker says, there’s rightly more public scrutiny of every decision you make as a leader. And, Kadish adds, decision-making is far more dispersed.

In this episode, they share their four-part framework for breaking down complicated problems with many stakeholders to get results. If you’re struggling with bureaucracy and politics in your organization, this episode is for you.

Key episode topics include: leadership, strategy execution, government, stakeholder management, decision making, problem solving, negotiation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Leadership Lessons from a Republican Governor in a Blue State (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

How do you guide a team working on innovative projects—when there is no existing playbook?

Astro Teller says he uses a vetted approach to decision-making for the innovative projects that he and his teams undertake at X, Alphabet’s R&D engine.

Teller is the Captain of Moonshots at X, which he helped launch at Google in 2010. His mission there is to invent and launch new technologies that address serious problems in the world. But those technologies must also create the foundations for substantial new businesses for Google’s parent company, Alphabet. They’ve worked on a pill that detects cancer, cars that drive themselves, and mega-kites that work as turbines to collect wind energy, to name just a few examples.

In this episode, Teller offers key lessons for managing the process that delivers breakthrough innovations. You’ll learn how he decides to keep investing in a project, and how he knows when it’s time to pull the plug. You’ll also learn how he assembles teams and what qualities he looks for in potential new hires.

Key episode topics include: leadership, innovation, technology and analytics, leadership and managing people, experimentation, creativity, breakthrough, Alphabet, Google.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: X’s Astro Teller on Managing Moonshot Innovation
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Chobani is a leader in the global yogurt market, with more than 20 percent share of the U.S. market alone. It all started with one man, an abandoned yogurt factory in upstate New York, and a mission to make quality yogurt accessible to more people.

In this episode, Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius and Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya discuss mission-driven entrepreneurship.

You’ll learn how Ulukaya kept Chobani true to its original values, even as it scaled and began competing in new sectors. You’ll also learn why he adapted Chobani’s mission to center his employees.

Key episode topics include: leadership, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and founders, entrepreneurial management, food and beverage sector, Chobani, yogurt. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• View to the original New World of Work episode: Chobani Founder Hamdi Ulukaya on the Journey from Abandoned Factory to Yogurt Powerhouse (2022)
• Find more episodes of the New World of Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

What distinguishes a leader? How do you know if you’re ready to lead? And how do you make the transition into a leadership role?

The shift from being part of a team to leading one isn’t like flipping a switch. It’s a process, and it can be awkward. It can be especially difficult your identity differs from other leaders in your organization — for example, if you’re a young leader in an organization dominated by older leaders, or a woman in a male-dominated organization.

In this episode, two leadership coaches, Amy Su and Muriel Wilkins of Paravis Partners, explain how to develop a leadership presence that’s both authentic to you and resonates with others. You’ll also learn some deeper questions to ask yourself during your transition into leadership.

Key episode topics include: leadership, gender, authenticity, leadership presence, transitions, influencing others, leadership style, leadership journey.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Seeing Ourselves as Leaders (2019)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In early 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board were killed.

This was not the first NASA mission to end in disaster, and it inspired Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson to write a business case about what went wrong.

Edmondson studies psychological safety and organizational learning. Her most recent book is Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.

In this episode, she breaks down the organizational challenges within NASA that contributed to the Columbia tragedy, offering a window into the organization’s leadership. Edmondson also shares lessons for all leaders about the dangers of unyielding hierarchy and of failing to listen to dissenting voices.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, organizational culture, operations and supply chain management, NASA, hierarchy, science.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: The Space Shuttle Columbia’s Final Mission (2016)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln wrote a scathing letter to his top Union general, who had squandered an opportunity to end the American Civil War. Then Lincoln folded it up and tucked it away in his desk.

The letter was never signed and sent—just one example of how Lincoln’s legendary emotional discipline enabled him to rise above mundane arguments and focus on a larger mission.

In this episode, Harvard Business School professor and historian Nancy Koehn analyzes Lincoln’s leadership both before and during America’s greatest crisis.

You’ll learn how emotional self-control can impact your day-to-day leadership as well as your long-term legacy.

Key episode topics include: leadership, crisis management, decision making and problem solving, government, American history, emotional discipline, communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Real Leaders: Abraham Lincoln and the Power of Emotional Discipline (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Growing up in the heart of the Confederacy, Maggie Lena Walker started work as a laundress at age nine. At the urging of her mother and mentors, she turned to education, and used it to propel her life forward — graduating high school at 16, working as a teacher, and learning accounting.

Those experiences, coupled with her strong work ethic, culminated in Walker rising to lead the Independent Order of St. Luke and found several other businesses, all of which created jobs and opportunities for many women and Blacks people where there had been none before.

In this episode, Harvard Business School senior lecturer Tony Mayo traces Walker’s approach to leadership on her journey to becoming the first female bank president in America.

You’ll learn how she led the turnaround of the Order of St. Luke starting in 1899 by cutting costs, increasing membership, and launching new businesses that catered to unmet needs in Richmond’s Black community. You’ll also learn how Walker relied on her personal networks and deep local roots to overcome challenges rooted in systemic racism throughout her career.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, entrepreneurship, race, gender, Independent Order of St. Luke. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Black Business Leaders Series: A Remarkable Legacy of Firsts, Maggie Lena Walker (2017)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Most of us can point to a few key people who have made a real difference in our lives and careers—the coach who pushed you to outperform, the teacher whose passion for a subject inspired your own, or the boss who showed you what it is to be a leader at work.

In this episode, NBA star Chris Paul shares how his own mentors guided him through the early years of his professional basketball career and helped him develop his leadership skills on and off the court.

Paul is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time and led the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 to 2021. He shares what he’s learned about mentorship and leadership—and the important role communication skills play in enabling both. He also explains how to communicate with colleagues in a high-pressure situation and why it’s so important to listen to the people you lead. 

Key episode topics include: leadership, teams, power and influence, leading teams, organizational culture, basketball, sports. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: NBA Star Chris Paul on Mentorship and Taking a Stand (2023)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Do you have a difficult employee on your team— someone who might be underperforming or resistant to taking feedback? Do you know how to help them?

Melvin Smith says that coaching can be harder than you realize. First you must figure out which approach will work well for that specific employee. But you also need to know how to measure the success of your coaching and when it’s time to move on to other options—like performance management.

In this episode, he takes questions from listeners who are struggling to coach some of their employees. He offers advice for what to do when your new employee is slacking off, or when they’re struggling to adjust to your organization’s culture and communication style. He also has suggestions for coaching two direct reports who are in conflict with each other.

Smith is a professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and coauthor of the book Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth.

Key episode topics include: leadership, careers, career coaching, managing people, organizational culture, difficult conversations.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Coaching Problem Employees (2020)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Making business decisions often means choosing one path over another—but that doesn’t always need to be the case. Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis argue that leaders should move beyond “either/or” choices and try to come up with solutions that embrace ambiguity and paradox.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe the question you’re asking in order to get more creative answers. You’ll also learn how to shift your own internal thinking away from oppositional relationships and instead focus on interdependencies.

Smith is a management professor at the University of Delaware, and Lewis is dean of the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business. Together they’re coauthors of the book Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, tradeoffs, reframing.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Decisions Don’t Have to Be Either-Or (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

You’re probably familiar with the term “psychological safety.” But do you know what it really means?

HBR contributing editor and workplace conflict expert Amy Gallo says both the idea and the value of psychological safety are commonly misunderstood. Gallo cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

In this episode, you’ll learn how to define psychological safety, how to figure out if your team has it, and what to do if it doesn’t.

Key episode topics include: leadership, organizational culture, psychology, teams, leading teams, psychological safety, emotional intelligence. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: What Is Psychological Safety? (2023)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Many of us manage projects—even if “project manager” isn’t in our official job title. We try to learn the basics as we go: how to manage multiple stakeholders, adapt as circumstances change, and set realistic deadlines. It’s not easy, and it’s no wonder that people get certified in project management: it’s a discipline that’s surprisingly deep, from planning to close-out.

In this episode, you’ll hear from a former clinical social worker who recently pivoted to project management and has already experienced several of the most common challenges, including uncertainty, interpersonal conflict, and lack of responsiveness from the team. She talks with Tamara McLemore, an experienced project manager who shares tips for motivating and influencing others, communicating effectively, and solving problems.

You’ll also learn how to use some essential project managements tools, like a project charter and a work breakdown structure, as well as how to divide any project into four core phases and then work through them effectively.

Key episode topics include: leadership, project management, leading teams, motivating people, agile, communication, collaboration.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Managing Projects (2023)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Mountains are often used as metaphors for the challenges that arise in business and leadership. But when Rick Ridgeway compares mountaineering to risk management, he’s speaking from deep experience navigating both the boardroom and some of the world’s highest slopes.

Ridgeway is an outdoor adventurer, writer, and advocate for sustainability and conservation initiatives. He’s also the former vice president of environmental initiatives at Patagonia.

In this episode, Ridgeway explains why good communication, ambitious goal setting, and meticulous planning are essential in both mountaineering and business. He also emphasizes the importance of recruiting a strong team — whether you’re leading an uphill battle to make apparel manufacturing more sustainable or summiting K2. (Spoiler alert: Ridgeway has done both.)

Key episode topics include: leadership, sustainable business, environmental sustainability.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Tenacious Leadership on the Mountain and in the Organization (2011)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Move fast and break things.” But Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei says speed and experimentation are not enough on their own. Instead, she argues that you should move fast and fix things. (That’s also the topic and title of the book she coauthored with Anne Morriss.)

In this episode, Frei explains how you can solve any problem in five clear steps. First, she says, start by identifying the real problem holding you back. Then move on to building trust and relationships, followed by a narrative for your solution — before you begin implementing it.

Key episode topics include: leadership, strategy execution, managing people, collaboration and teams, trustworthiness, organizational culture.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Learn more about HBR’s “Future of Business” virtual conference (November 2023)
• Find more Harvard Business Review live events
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

GitLab, which builds and manages an open-source software development application, started off with employees fully dispersed and has stayed that way. Now with more than 1,300 people spread across more than 60 countries, it’s said to be the world’s largest all-remote company.

In this episode, the company’s CEO Sid Sijbrandij shares the lessons he’s learned about how to manage a distributed workforce. He explains how to recruit talent who are well-suited for remote work and how to onboard them effectively. He also shares how GitLab leaders reinforce company culture remotely and how they create virtual space for informal relationship building.

Key episode topics include: leadership, remote work, managing people, teams, dispersed work, culture, communication, recruitment, talent management, innovation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Advice from the CEO of an All-Remote Company (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In 2014, Deloitte launched Pixel to facilitate open talent and crowdsourcing for client engagements that need specific expertise — like machine learning or digital production. But uptake across the organization was slow, and some internal stakeholders resisted outsourcing consulting work to freelance talent.

In this episode, Harvard Business School professor Mike Tushman discusses his case, “Deloitte’s Pixel (A): Consulting with Open Talent,” which breaks down the challenges the firm’s leadership faced in growing Pixel within the firm — and how they overcame them.

He explains how the firm selected a leader for Pixel who already had credibility and strong social networks within Deloitte. He also shares how Pixel established credibility by collaborating with early adopters within the firm to generate positive client results.

Key episode topics include: leadership, disruptive innovation, innovation, organizational change, talent management, business consulting services, crowdsourcing, freelance talent, intrapreneurship. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Transforming Deloitte’s Approach to Consulting (2022)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Do people see your leadership potential?

Suzanne Peterson says many talented professionals miss out on leadership roles for relatively intangible reasons. But she argues that aspiring leaders can learn to alter their everyday interactions in small ways to have a big influence on their professional reputation.

Peterson is an associate professor of leadership at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, and the coauthor of the HBR article “How to Develop Your Leadership Style: Concrete Advice for a Squishy Challenge.”

In this episode, she explains how to adopt markers of different leadership styles, so that you can be seen as both influential and likable. She also discusses why it’s important to focus on relationship building as you progress in your career. As she says, “Mid-career and rising senior level, now it’s all about the relationships. It’s all about how you’re perceived.” 

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership development, managing yourself, power and influence, leadership style, reputation management, aspiring leaders, careers.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Defining and Adapting Your Leadership Style (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at org.

Managing difficult personalities, stalled productivity, and conflict are inevitable parts of leading a team. But how do you know if your leadership is part of the problem?

Melanie Parish says that many leaders see problems on their team as external without considering the impact of their own behavior on team dynamics. As she says, “There are so many different challenges. They circle. You have one challenge one week, and another challenge another week. That’s the work of leadership.”

Parish is a leadership coach and the author of the book, The Experimental Leader: Be a New Kind of Boss to Cultivate an Organization of Innovators.

She takes questions from listeners who are struggling to manage tough teams and offers advice for what to do when you lead a team that refuses to follow company processes or when your growing team of managers is clamoring to weigh in on key decisions. She also has suggestions for how to improve morale if your team is frustrated.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, managing people, collaboration and teams, organizational culture.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Tough Teams (2020)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Do you know how to influence people who don’t report to you? That might include your boss, clients, or even your peers.

Nashater Deu Solheim argues that there are proven techniques to help you understand your colleagues’ thinking and win their respect—even in virtual work settings.

Solheim is a forensic psychologist and a leadership coach who studies how people gain influence within organizations.

In this episode, she explains that the key to influencing others is understanding them, and she offers a three-part framework to help you do just that. She refers to it as ABC: advanced preparation, body language, and conversation.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business communication, power and influence, managing up, persuasion. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Better Ways to Manage Up and Out (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’ve invested in someone you manage, it’s natural to feel hurt when that person tells you they’re leaving—especially if they’re a strong contributor.

The classic management advice is: Don’t take it personally. Be professional. But it’s important to acknowledge your feelings and work through them—for yourself and with your team.

In this episode, three HBR leaders join managers drawn from the Women at Work audience to share their experiences losing team members. They discuss how to manage your emotions in the moment and how to look for learnings that will help you move forward. They also offer ideas for how to share the news with your boss and the rest of your team.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, gender, employee retention, staff transitions, staffing, managing emotions, difficult conversations.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Dealing with the Feels After an Employee Quits (October 2021)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Some leaders are too comfortable talking about themselves — and others — at work. Their teams may struggle to trust them because they have no boundaries. Other leaders are reluctant to share anything at all, and risk coming across as remote and inaccessible.

But Lisa Rosh says that when you get self-disclosure just right, it can build greater trust on your team. Rosh is an assistant professor of management at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to think about the timing, the substance, and the process for sharing personal information with your team. You’ll also learn why it’s important to avoid using self-disclosure to seek approval from others or to promote yourself. As Rosh says, “Be yourself, but be it very carefully.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, organizational culture, business communication, interpersonal communication, authenticity.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Lead Authentically, Without Oversharing (2013)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

When you’re in the middle of a conflict, it’s common to automatically enter fight-or-flight mode.

But HBR contributing editor and workplace conflict expert Amy Gallo says it’s possible to interrupt this response, stay calm, and find a path towards a more productive discussion. In this episode, you’ll learn some simple techniques that will help you manage your emotions when conflict arises at work.

First try to distance yourself from the negative emotion you’re feeling by labeling it. Then focus on your breath and your body. And if you need to — take a break and give yourself time to process your intense emotions.

Gallo also cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

Key episode topics include: leadership, emotional intelligence, difficult conversations, managing yourself. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: How to Control Your Emotions During a Difficult Conversation: The Harvard Business Review Guide (2022)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In early 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship became trapped in ice, north of Antarctica. For almost two years, he and his crew braved those frozen expanses. Then, in December 1916, Shackleton led them all to safety.

Not a single life was lost, and Shackleton’s leadership has become one of the most famous case studies of all time.

In this episode, Harvard Business School professor and historian Nancy Koehn analyzes Shackleton’s leadership during those two fateful years that he and his men struggled to survive.

She explains how Shackleton carefully assembled a team capable of weathering a crisis and the important role empathy played in his day-to-day leadership. Koehn also shares the survival lessons that Shackleton learned from weak leaders he encountered early in his own career.

Key episode topics include: leadership, crisis management, motivating people, managing people.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Real Leaders: Ernest Shackleton Leads a Harrowing Expedition (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Imagine you’re a new manager, and one of your team members consistently underperforms. But there’s a catch: your struggling employee is a personal friend of your CEO. When performance review time rolls around, should you be honest and give them a low rating?

There are no simple answers for the tough decisions that managers face. Harvard Business School professor Joe Badaracco says that hard and fast rules only go so far in these sorts of situations. Instead, managers must use their best judgement to find a solution.

Badaracco is a business ethics expert and the author of the book, Managing in the Gray: Five Timeless Questions for Resolving Your Toughest Problems at Work.

In this episode, he explains how to approach what he calls “gray-area decisions.” First, gather as much information as you can, taking different perspectives into account. Then, consider the consequences of the different possible actions you can take, the values of your organization, and your own personal values.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing conflicts, dismissing employees, managing people, managing employees, tough calls, 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Managing in the Real World: How to Make Gray-Area Decisions (2016)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem without taking time to really understand the dilemma we face, according to Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg, an expert in innovation and the author of the book, What’s Your Problem?: To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to reframe tough problems by asking questions that reveal all the factors and assumptions that contribute to the situation. You’ll also learn why searching for just one root cause can be misleading.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, power and influence, business management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Secret to Better Problem Solving (2016)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Would you promote an employee who’s a top performer, but mistreats their colleagues and disregards company values? It’s a dilemma that many managers face in their careers.

In this episode, the former dean of Harvard Business School Nitin Nohria discusses the classic case study, “Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley.” He breaks down the issues at the heart of the case—including the questions it raises about managers’ accountability for their employees’ behavior.

You’ll learn how to imagine multiple perspectives on this dilemma, so you can work through your decision making. You’ll also learn how managers should consider their own role in creating the incentives that motivate their employees.

Key episode topics include: leadership, talent management, employee performance management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Employee Performance vs. Company Values: A Manager’s Dilemma (2020)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

What should you do when you become the boss?

Many of us are promoted into people manager roles without any preparation for the complexities involved in that work. But Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks says there are some basics that will help you get started as a first-time boss.

Brooks is an expert in organizational behavior and the psychology of communication. She takes questions from listeners who are struggling as first-time bosses, and talks through what to do when your direct reports are older than you, how to be a likable leader, and what to say if you’re not ready to be in charge.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, managing people. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: First-time Bosses (2018)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’re a leader, you need to know how to influence people. Maybe you’re trying to get clients to buy into your idea, trust your expertise, or sign on with your company. Or perhaps you want to convince colleagues to start a new initiative or kill one you think is doomed to fail.

In this episode, Vanessa Bohns, a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University, and Raven Hoffman, who works in a construction role that involves recruiting new clients to her firm, break down how to build influence at work.

They discuss which persuasion tactics are most effective and how to tell if someone is being swayed by your reasoning. And if you’ve failed to persuade someone but still believe in the cause, they offer smart tactics for trying again.

Key episode topics include: leadership, persuasion, power and influence, business communication, industrial sector, construction and engineering, education institutions.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Persuading People (2022)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Some leaders spend their careers honing their relationships with employees. But Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg and corporate communications expert Michael Slind argue that leaders are at their best when they simply talk with their teams.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to be more intentional about your conversations with employees—to ensure that you’re cultivating appropriate intimacy, inviting meaningful interaction, and including everyone. You’ll also learn how to make your conversations open, but not aimless.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business communication, organizational culture, teams, relationship building, conversation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How Effective Leaders Talk (and Listen) (2012)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Etsy, the online seller of handmade and vintage goods, was founded as an alternative to mass-manufactured products. The company grew substantially in its first decade but remained unprofitable.

When Etsy went public, stakeholders demanded a new level of financial returns and accountability. But the company continued to struggle to contain costs—until a new CEO arrived with a plan for a purpose-driven turnaround.

In this episode, Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati discusses his case, “Etsy: Crafting a Turnaround to Save the Business and Its Soul,” which explores how CEO Josh Silverman made Etsy profitable by rediscovering the company’s commitment to social and environmental sustainability.

Gulati discusses the difficult choices Silverman made in the early days of his tenure, like laying off employees for the first time ever at Etsy, and how he worked to regain trust with employees. He also explains why Silverman prioritized improving the user experience for buyers on Etsy’s website.

Gulati is the author of the book Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies.

Key episode topics include: leadership, change management, organizational culture, organizational transformation, strategy, retail and consumer goods, online retail, purpose, sustainability.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: How Etsy Found Its Purpose and Crafted a Turnaround (2022)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

The key to success as a leader is to strike a careful balance between ambition and humility. But how do you stay humble while also proving your worth? And how do you advance without showing too much ambition?

In this episode, Amer Kaissi offers advice on how to find a better balance between our desire to achieve and the qualities that earn more respect from colleagues. As he says, “humility keeps our feet on the ground by allowing us to have an accurate assessment of our own abilities, by understanding our strengths and our weaknesses.” And “ambition is about making us reach for the stars by believing in our own greatness, but also in the greatness of the people who work with us.”

Kaissi is a professor of health care administration at Trinity University in Texas and an executive coach. He’s the author of the book Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, ambition, humility, listening skills, learning, Steve Jobs.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: To Get Ahead, You Need Both Ambition and Humility (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’re leading innovation, you need very specific leadership skills.

Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill has studied leadership and innovation for decades and is the coauthor of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation. She says that leaders who shepherd innovation can’t rely on formal authority. Instead, they need to understand how to get people to co-create with them, which requires mastering three key roles —architect, bridger, and catalyst—or the ABCs of innovation.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to fill each of these roles—from how to assemble the right team to how to build real connections and mutual commitment. As Hill says, “You cannot tell people to innovate. You can only invite them.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, innovation, power, commitment, talent management, resources, teams, collaboration.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Quick Study episode: What Makes a Great Leader? (2022)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Quick Study series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

John Kerry has spent more than 40 years in public service, including several decades in the U.S. Senate, leading the U.S. Department of State from 2013 to 2017, and more recently serving as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

In this episode, he shares the leadership lessons he learned over many years of leadership in the public sector—from influencing people to recovering from defeats, handling leadership transitions, and staying focused on important long-term goals.

Key episode topics include: leadership, government, negotiation strategies, leadership transitions, resilience, focus, planning, influence, diplomacy. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: John Kerry on Leadership, Compromise, and Change (2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Julie Zhuo was Facebook’s first intern, and she became a manager there in her mid-twenties. Those early years as a manager at the company—now named Meta—were tough. She says she often felt like she was in over her head and she made a lot of mistakes.

But Zhuo did eventually learn how to manage team dynamics. When she left Facebook in 2020, she was leading a team of hundreds, as vice president of product design.

Now the co-founder of Sundial, she takes questions from listeners who are struggling to manage their own team dynamics. She offers advice for when your employee is bossing around others on the team, and how to help an underperforming team member.

Zhuo is the author of the book The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You.

Key episode topics include: leadership, developing employees, leading teams, managing people.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Leading Small Teams (2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

As the host of two successful business podcasts, Guy Raz has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs and leaders. His podcasts How I Built This and Wisdom From The Top offer an inside look at how visionary leaders build their careers and their companies.

Raz has identified three key behaviors successful leaders have in common: They create a culture of collaboration.  They encourage risk-taking.  And they allow for failure.

In this episode, he discusses how to incentivize internal collaboration and why that approach often leads to innovation. He also shares the insights he’s gathered on how to inspire your team to take risks and embrace learning from failure. 

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership vision, leading teams, collaboration and teams, entrepreneurship.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Guy Raz on What Great Business Leaders Have in Common (2023)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’re a leader, you know how critical feedback is to your team’s success and growth. But giving the kind of feedback that motivates people to improve is harder than it may seem.

In this episode, Therese Huston, a cognitive scientist at Seattle University who specializes in giving and receiving feedback, and Jessica Gomez, an elementary school principal whose job involves observing teachers and giving them feedback on their teaching, break down the art and science of giving effective feedback.

They discuss what to prioritize when you give feedback, how to make sure your message is clear, and how to lay the groundwork for these difficult conversations.

Key episode topics include: leadership, gender, giving feedback, managing people, education institutions.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Giving Feedback (2021)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Do you have a culture of respect on your team?

Kristie Rogers, an associate professor of management at Marquette University, has identified two types of respect that employees value: owed and earned. She says that owed respect refers to basic workplace civility whereas earned respect is related to an employee’s achievements.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to practice both types of workplace respect, and what happens when their balance isn’t quite right. You’ll also learn how managers can unknowingly communicate disrespect to their employees.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, business communication, employee retention, interpersonal communication, respect, motivation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The 2 Types of Respect Leaders Must Show (2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

When was the last time you practiced your active listening skills?

HBR contributing editor Amy Gallo says it is a skill you need to practice. In this episode, you’ll learn how you can use listening skills to make other people feel heard and understood. Specifically, you’ll learn different styles of listening and how to use each one to fit your goals.

You’ll also learn how to use thoughtful questions to deepen your conversation and make sure you’re getting the information you need.

Gallo is an expert in workplace conflict and communication. She also cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

Key episode topics include: leadership, interpersonal communication, listening skills, active listening, conversations.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: The Art of Active Listening (2022)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

The business world is beginning to recognize the importance of mental health. That’s why writer, entrepreneur, and podcast host Morra Aarons-Mele says that the more we understand and talk about our own mental health, the better we are as managers and colleagues.

In this episode, you’ll get tips on how to work with—and through—your anxiety. If you’re a senior leader or a human resources professional, you’ll also learn ways to help your organization prioritize employees’ mental health.

This is the final episode in a special series highlighting the four best leadership episodes of 2023, curated from across Harvard Business Review’s podcasts.

Key episode topics include: leadership, psychology, mental health, managing yourself, emotional intelligence.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How Managing Your Anxiety Can Make You a Better Leader (2023)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

With the explosive growth of generative AI, businesses are beginning to integrate artificial intelligence into all aspects of their operations, products, and services. This shift is posing a particularly difficult challenge for leaders, who must quickly learn enough about this new technology to make sound decisions for their companies, in the short- and long-term.

One key player in this transition is NVIDIA, the AI-driven computing company, which makes both hardware and software for a range of industries.

In this episode, NVIDIA CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang discusses how he leads his company in the face of accelerating change with Harvard Business Review editor-in-chief Adi Ignatius. Huang explains why he thinks flat organizations are better at innovation and why his leadership team still operates as if NVIDIA were about to go bankrupt.

This is the third episode in a special series highlighting the four best leadership episodes of 2023, curated from across Harvard Business Review’s podcasts.

Key episode topics include: leadership, AI and machine learning, organizational culture, leadership and managing people, technology and analytics.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original IdeaCast episode: Nvidia’s CEO on What It Takes To Run an A.I.-Led Company Now (2023)
• Find more episodes of IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

From Microsoft to Google to Meta, many of the world’s biggest tech companies announced layoffs in 2023.

But Harvard Business School professor Sandra Sucher, who has been studying layoffs for years, says that companies often overlook their hidden costs: lost institutional knowledge, weakened employee engagement, higher turnover, and lower innovation. She says that it can take years for companies to bounce back from these setbacks.

In this episode, you’ll learn better ways to approach layoffs—with real-world examples from Twitter, Nokia, and Fidelity Investments. You’ll also learn how to regain your employees’ trust in the aftermath.

This is the second episode in a special series highlighting the four best leadership episodes of 2023, curated from across Harvard Business Review’s podcasts.

Key episode topics include: leadership, layoffs, human resource management, managing people, talent management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Many Companies Get Layoffs Wrong (2023)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Becoming a manager for the first time comes with many common challenges: balancing your time, managing team conflicts, and delegating work to direct reports.

But leadership coach Jen Dary says there are also subtler challenges—like learning to actually see yourself as a leader. Assuming responsibility for other people’s professional development and personal happiness does change you. And the feelings can be mixed until you’re able to build your identity and confidence back up.

In this episode, Dary discusses how you can explore your new identity as a manager. You’ll learn how to plan your own professional development, deal with disillusionment, and set priorities and boundaries with your team—all while juggling the responsibilities of your new role.

This is the first episode in a special series highlighting the four best leadership episodes of 2023, curated from across Harvard Business Review’s podcasts.

Key episode topics include: leadership, gender, leadership development, managing people, early career.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Finding Yourself Again (2023)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Are leaders born or made?

University of Michigan Ross School of Business professor Sue Ashford has studied leadership for decades—what makes people see themselves as leaders and how groups choose leaders among them. She says that leadership does come more easily to some than others, but that leadership is dynamic and only as real as a group decides. It’s a state that everyone can reach, whether they’re officially in charge or not.

“People grant a leader identity by their willingness to follow someone. So, if you take the chalk and go to the board and start writing things, or am I following along, adding to your structure, your list? And by doing that, I’m reinforcing that I’m willing to go with you for this bit of time,” Ashford explains.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to cultivate leadership within yourself and those you manage. You’ll also learn about alternative models, like shared leadership, that can benefit any team.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, managing employees, managing yourself, leadership qualities, leading teams.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Everyone Should See Themselves as a Leader (2017)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Do you trust the people you work with?

Without trust, organizational psychologist Liane Davey says it’s hard to have the two key ingredients for any healthy team: effective communication and productive conflict.

Davey takes questions from listeners who are struggling to build trust at work. She offers advice for what to do when your new boss doesn’t trust you, or when you want to earn the trust of people who work for you.

Key episode topics include: leadership, emotional intelligence, managing people, managing yourself, trustworthiness, managing up, communication, conflict.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Building Trust (2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

When you think of good leadership, what comes to mind?

Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter argue that good leadership isn’t rooted in power or public speaking skills. They say that, in fact, mindfulness, selflessness, and compassion are the key components.

“If [you are] focused on things that are going to feed [your] ego, [you’re] not necessarily going to be doing the things that will be most helpful to other people,” Carter explains. “[And] what the research and our field work really showed us is that in the long term, people don’t want to follow you.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how to cultivate selflessness as a leader without being a pushover. You’ll also learn a simple ritual that could help you start you day with more focus and a clearer sense of your priorities.

Carter and Hougaard are the coauthors of The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, managing employees, managing yourself, psychology, self-awareness, mediation, mindfulness, compassion, selflessness.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Leading with Less Ego (2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Are you struggling to motivate your team?

Professor and author Richard Boyatzis says there’s a motivation crisis in workplaces. “And the responsibility for that lies with the managers and leaders—the people who are supposed to be energizing people and engaging them,” he argues.

Boyatzis takes questions from listeners who are struggling to retain their employees and motivate their teams.

Key episode topics include: leadership, developing employees, motivating people, organizational culture, psychology.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Motivating Employees (2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

As the head of science at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen managed an $8.6 billion dollar budget. A typical Monday, for him, might have involved hitting an asteroid with a space craft or trying to launch a rocket.

Zurbuchen left that role in 2022, but he’s still the longest continually serving head of science in NASA’s history. He and his team accomplished a lot in that time.

In this episode, he shares what he learned about leading extremely technical, complex, and expensive projects with a high risk of failure. You’ll learn how to manage your time, how to balance high-level strategy work with overseeing operations, and how to manage failure in a way that encourages learning and innovation.

Key episode topics include: leadership, teams, talent management, innovation, NASA, managing risk, collaboration, engineering, project management, government.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: NASA’s Science Head on Leading Space Missions with Risk of Spectacular Failure (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

When was the last time you disagreed with your boss? Did you tell them you had a different opinion — or did you just let it go?

HBR contributing editor Amy Gallo says it’s much easier to just agree with your boss. But sometimes it’s important to speak up. In this episode, you’ll learn how to weigh the risk of a negative reaction against the risk of not voicing your opinion: What could happen later if you don’t raise this issue now? What do you stand to lose? What opportunities could you or your team be missing out on?

You’ll also learn best practices to keep in mind if you do decide to say something — like avoiding certain judgment words and first asking permission, instead of offering an unsolicited opinion.

Gallo is an expert in workplace conflict and communication. She also cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

Key episode topics include: leadership, difficult conversations, managing conflicts, managing up, interpersonal communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Guide episode: How to Disagree with Someone More Powerful: The Harvard Business Review Guide (2021).
• Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Most of us think of mentoring a colleague as a one-way street—a gift of professional guidance and advice. But Sylvia Ann Hewlett says sponsorship needs to be a reciprocal relationship.

“[T]he younger person has to display a great deal of value. And oftentimes the senior person is looking for a value add, a skill or an experience in the younger person that they don’t have themselves,” she explains. “So it’s very reciprocal…and it’s really about progression for both of the individuals.”

Hewlett is an economist, consultant, and the author the book The Sponsor Effect: How to Be a Better Leader by Investing in Others.

In this episode, she breaks down the building blocks, risks, and potential rewards of sponsorship. She also offers advice for choosing the right protégé and effectively launching and managing these long-term relationships.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, power and influence, managing people, talent management, sponsorship, mentorship, relationships, development.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: The Surprising Benefits of Sponsoring Others at Work (2019)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

When Rosalind Fox took over as manager of John Deere’s largest factory in Des Moines, Iowa, the plant employed 1,600 workers and included four major product lines. It was far bigger and more complex than the factory she’d been managing in North Carolina before her promotion. She had to shift from being a more operational, tactical manager to a more strategic role.

But Fox was also the first Black female manager at the Iowa factory, and her employees there were mostly white men. So she also had to figure out how to engage with her staff and build credibility with them. And that meant Fox had to decide how much of herself to bring to work.

“[T]he more authentic that you are, the greater sense of wellbeing you have, the greater sense of satisfaction you have, and that leads to greater engagement in the organization,” Harvard Business School senior lecturer Tony Mayo tells Cold Call host Brian Kenny. “[T]he key thing to know is that not everybody has the license to be authentic.”

Mayo interviewed Fox for his case study on her leadership at the agricultural equipment company.

In this episode, you’ll learn how Fox balanced the pressure to assimilate into the factory’s dominant cultures with her own sense of authenticity.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, organizational culture, diversity and inclusion, race, authenticity, communication, agriculture, manufacturing, employee engagement.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Fostering Authenticity and Employee Engagement at John Deere (2021)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Management decisions almost always involve uncertainty. But what if you just can’t get the facts you need—or if your colleagues disagree about what you should decide?

Harvard Business School professor Joseph Badaracco calls these “gray area problems.” He offers a framework for addressing these problems in his book, Managing in the Gray: Five Timeless Questions for Resolving Your Toughest Problems at Work.

“Get expert advice. Look at options with other people, work the process. Be a good manager. And sometimes, you get an answer,” he explains. “But if [you don’t], then you’ve got to make the decision. And you can’t rely on analytics or frameworks. You make that judgment call as who you are. And then you live with it afterwards.”

In this episode, you’ll learn which questions to ask yourself as you work through your own gray area problems. You’ll also learn how to balance your business acumen with the needs of your organization and your human instincts.

Key episode topics include: leadership, decision making and problem solving, business ethics, uncertainty, disagreement, tough decisions, complexity.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Making the Toughest Calls (2016)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Delegating is an essential part of leadership. Without it, how can you rise above the tactical grind and focus on strategic thinking?

But leadership coach Deborah Grayson Riegel says delegating effectively is harder than it may seem.

“People delegate poorly defined tasks to other people where they’re not clear of the expectation. They’re not clear on the goal. They’re not clear on what success would look like, and they pass that on,” she explains. “And as you can imagine, it’s like a giant game of telephone. It just leaves you a mess.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how to decide which tasks to delegate and how to handle the specific challenges that come with delegating to peers in your organization, in addition to direct reports.

Key episode topics include: leadership, delegating, interpersonal communication, receiving feedback, business services sector, business consulting services, aerospace and defense sector.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Delegating Effectively (2022)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Some managers give meaningless positive feedback. Others are unreasonably critical. But Kim Scott, cofounder of the executive coaching firm Radical Candor, says good leaders can give honest feedback in the moment—as long as it’s rooted in a strong relationship.

“You want to show that you care personally,” she tells IdeaCast host Curt Nickisch. “Your job as a leader is to paint a picture of what success looks like. You want to show what the possibilities are.”

In this episode, Scott explains the steps that managers can take to challenge their employees more directly, while also communicating empathy. She also offers advice for how to solicit useful feedback on your own work.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business communication, giving feedback, managing people, communication, difficult conversations, developing employees, empathy. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Defining Radical Candor – and How to Do It (Feb 2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Captain Michael Davidson, of the container ship SS El Faro, was determined to make his trip on time. But a hurricane was approaching, and Davidson and his fellow officers had to plot a new course to avoid the storm, in the face of conflicting weather reports from multiple sources and differing opinions among the officers about what to do. Over the 36-hour voyage, tensions rose as the ship got closer and closer to the storm.

And there were other factors compounding the challenge. The El Faro was an old ship, about to be scrapped. Its owner, TOTE Maritime, was in the process of selecting officers to crew its new ships. Davidson and some of his officers knew the company measured a ship’s on-time arrival and factored that into performance reviews and hiring decisions

When the SS El Faro tragically sank on October 1, 2015, it was the deadliest American shipping disaster in decades. But who was to blame for the tragedy and what can we learn from it?

Harvard Business School professor Joe Fuller discusses the culpability of the captain, as well as his fellow officers, and what it reveals about how leaders and their teams communicate under pressure.

Fuller used transcripts of the ship’s tape recorder to study the crew’s communication, allowing him unique access to every conversation with the captain and crew, as they struggled to decide the ship’s course.

“What you see is that different deck officers…have pretty direct conversations with Davidson about the storm. But at no time, do any of them say to Davidson, ‘Captain, I’m really concerned, this course is taking us right on a collision with…the storm.’ And I think we should adopt a different course of action,” Fuller notes.

If you’re trying to lead your team through a crisis or make good decisions under pressure, this episode is for you.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership styles, crisis management, operations and supply chain management, power and influence, business failures, communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Management Lessons from the Sinking of the SS El Faro (April 2022)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Herminia Ibarra, a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School, says that if you want to grow as a leader, you must leave your comfort zone and try new behaviors. Eventually, she says, you’ll arrive at a more authentic version of yourself.

“The paradox is that a lot of times in order to become more authentic, more fully yourself, but in a new capacity, you can’t start that way,” says Ibarra. “You actually have to do things that don’t come naturally and that sometimes make you feel like a fake or an imposter.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how to try out new leadership behaviors in lower stakes, less visible settings while you slowly improve your skills. You’ll also learn how to balance authenticity with vulnerability when you communicate with your team.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, change leadership, authenticity, growth, communication, leadership presence, organizational change, new manager.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Leadership Feels Awkward (Feb 2015)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Are you struggling to give and receive feedback at work? Executive coach and organizational consultant Ben Dattner says giving good feedback is really about how you deliver it.

“I think what good bosses do is they let their employees know…the reason I’m giving you this feedback is to help you be more successful,” he tells Dear HBR hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn. “This is not adversarial. This is the two of us together trying to make something better.”

Dattner takes questions from Dear HBR listeners about what to do when an employee isn’t making changes based on your feedback, and how to respond when your employee offers you unexpected feedback.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, developing employees, giving feedback, receiving feedback, communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Critical Feedback (Feb 2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Generational differences may get laughs online. (Remember “OK boomer”?) But in the workplace, productivity can suffer when older and younger workers struggle to communicate and find common ground.

Mimi Nicklin, a business coach and advertising executive, argues that older managers should spend less time forcing their Millennial and Gen Z employees to conform to company culture and more time listening.

But Nicklin says listening isn’t enough. Practicing empathy across generational divides is key to improving team collaboration and creating better business and individual outcomes – and that can go both ways.

“What empathy in a leader, or from a leadership point of view, really asks of us is to understand, to ask opinions, to listen,” she tells IdeaCast host Curt Nickisch. “Empathy for me is about perspective taking — seeing the world through the eyes of someone else, seeing their context.”

In this episode, Nicklin explains how to build common ground and tackle generational tensions on your team – with plenty of real-world examples from companies that prioritize empathy. Nicklin wrote the book Softening the Edge: Empathy: How Humanity’s Oldest Leadership Trait is Changing the World.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, psychology, age and generational issues, conflict, growth, differences, millennials, organizational culture, communication, talent management, GenZ, empathy.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How Empathy Helps Bridge Generational Differences (2021)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Fabricio Bloisi was just 21 years old when he founded Movile as a small start-up in a garage, in the late 1990s. At the time, the company specialized in building text messaging apps and selling them to telecom providers in Brazil.

The company is now a global technology player, serving more than more than 150 million mobile customers worldwide. But Harvard Business School professor emeritus Lynda Applegate says that to scale the company successfully, Bloisi had to evolve his leadership away from day-to-day operations. (Applegate profiled Bloisi in a business case.)

In this episode, you’ll learn how Bloisi’s role as founder and CEO changed as the company grew. Key to this growth was Movile’s executive team, who managed operations so that Bloisi could focus on the company’s strategy.

If you’re trying to balance day-to-day leadership with the bigger picture, this episode is for you.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, entrepreneurship, start-ups, technology, mobile phones, executive team, talent development, organizational culture, scaling, founders.

 HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: The Team Sport of Scaling a Business (2016)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’re leading a team, you know how hard it is to facilitate collaboration – especially when they don’t know each other well or may never meet in person. When people struggle to work together, it can harm productivity, morale, and talent retention.

But New York Times bestselling author Marcus Buckingham argues that you can improve your team dynamics if you understand the people you manage: how they learn, what they love, and how to bring out their strengths.

“[W]hen you first join, [Lululemon] want to know all about your goals and aspirations and dreams,” Buckingham, head of research on people and performance at ADP, tells IdeaCast host Alison Beard. “So right from the get-go, they’re like what’s inside you?”

In this episode, you’ll get step-by-step advice for improving collaboration on your teams from day one. You’ll also learn how you can balance your team members’ unique strengths and interests with your business goals.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leading teams, talent development, psychology,  organizational culture, managing people, team building, team joining, onboarding, employee engagement.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Find Joy in Any Job: How Do I Get My Team to Love Work? (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In our leader-focused society, how often do we consider the role of followers?

Barbara Kellerman studies the relationship between leaders and followers at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, where she was a member of the faculty for more than 20 years.

She explains that there’s a word that describes the powerful, emotional bond that exists between leaders and followers: charisma.

“We all tend to fixate on the leader,” Kellerman says. “But the genuine leadership is best understood as a relationship between the leader and his or her followers. And certainly charismatic leadership implies the power of the follower every bit as much as it does the power of the leader.”

In this episode, you’ll learn why the term “charisma” implies that leaders and their followers share power equally – and how that balance of power can lead to different outcomes.

Key episode topics include: leadership, gender, government, equity, power dynamics. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: What Charisma Really Is (and Isn’t) (2009)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Megan Rapinoe is known for her ability to perform under pressure on the soccer field. In 2019, she led the U.S. women’s team to the World Cup Championship.

But Rapinoe’s leadership extends beyond making big goals in high-stakes games. She has embraced her role as team captain and as an advocate for causes she believes in — like gender pay equity.

“I’ve always been a team-first kind of player. I’ve never been the best player, but I certainly carry a lot of weight,” she tells IdeaCast host Alison Beard. “I think that as long as I can do that in a positive way then I can have a really big impact on the team ultimately.”

They also discuss how Rapinoe gradually grew into her leadership role on the U.S. women’s team, why personal relationships with her teammates are important to her leadership, and what she does to keep her teammates motivated – especially after hard losses.

Key episode topics include: leadership, sports, gender, diversity and inclusion, leading teams, corporate social responsibility, pay equity, advocacy, purpose, and soccer.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Megan Rapinoe on Leading — On and Off the Field (June 2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Being a great manager isn’t enough to lead others to success. You also need to deeply understand your organization’s core business.

Amanda Goodall studies the relationship between leaders and organizational performance. She argues that the best leaders are technical experts — for example, doctors who head up hospitals or all-star basketball players who go on to manage teams.

“We find that if your boss understands the nature of the work, then they can actually help you,” says Goodall, a professor at Bayes Business School at the City University of London. “They can assess you well, and they can encourage you in the right direction to advance in your career, and that is a very important element for job satisfaction.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how to approach the transition from expert individual contributor to a leadership role. And you’ll learn what to do if you’re a generalist managing experts. (Spoiler alert: self-awareness and listening skills are important.)

Key episode topics include: leadership, developing employees, managing people, building trust, feedback, and talent management.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Technical Experts Make Great Leaders (April 2018)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If uncertainty and turbulence are the new normal, how does that change the way we lead?

In this episode, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman explains how ongoing volatility can be transformed into an opportunity for innovation.

“So there’s a couple places where structurally you should look at the opportunities. One is the classic aphorism, ‘never waste a good crisis,’” he tells Adi Ignatius, host of HBR’s The New World of Work video series. “Everything’s volatile, it’s been shaken up some. Try to predict where it’s going in this volatility and skate to where the puck is going, not where it is.”

They also discuss why it’s important to align the social impact of your innovative activity with your business mission, and why your talent is the true differentiator that will make or break your team’s success.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business and society, collaboration, teams, talent development, technology, social impact, purpose, organizational culture, decision-making, entrepreneurship, innovation, LinkedIn, and experimentation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original episode of The New World of Work: LinkedIn Cofounder Reid Hoffman on Innovating for an Uncertain Future (Jan 2022)
• Find more episodes of The New World of Work on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

We all have preconceived notions about the personality types are associated with good leadership — like confidence or emotional intelligence. But what about shyness? If you’re more reserved but truly competent, can you become a leader?

In this episode, an emerging leader speaks candidly about how her introversion affects her ability to lead. Then author and former clinical psychologist Alice Boyes explains why being shy and being a leader aren’t always in conflict.

“The goal is not to become less anxious or to hide your anxiety better. The goal is to be less ashamed of being anxious,” Boyes tells Women at Work hosts Amy Bernstein, Emily Caulfield, and Amy Gallo. “The actual problem is shame about anxiety or shyness, and not anxiety itself.”

Boyes adds that there are professional advantages of some personality traits related to shyness — like sensitivity and thoughtfulness.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, gender, anxiety, introversion, strengths and weaknesses, career planning.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Too Shy to Be a Leader? (Oct 2020)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Is your job pushing you outside your comfort zone? Executive coach and former venture capitalist Jerry Colonna has coached leaders on how to make the most of stretch responsibilities.

“When a leader is able to connect with the reality of what they know and don’t know and speak truthfully from that, there’s this lovely, lovely corollary benefit that occurs called trust,” he tells Dear HBR hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn. “Then all of a sudden you start to pull the team together and people start rooting for you.”

Colonna takes questions from Dear HBR listeners about what to do when you don’t feel qualified to manage your new responsibilities. He also offers advice for leading a team without formal power.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership development, career planning, career coaching, psychology, managing people, building trust.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Stretch Responsibilities (June 2019).
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Becoming a manager for the first time can be stressful. Sometimes it’s because of others, but often it’s because of the misconceptions many people bring into the job.

In this episode, three  new managers speak candidly about the surprises, the rewards, and the challenges of leading.

“When I was offered this position, the first thing I said was, ‘Wow, that’s a scary thought,’” one manager tells Women at Work hosts Amy Bernstein and Amy Gallo. “I knew I could do it on a day-to-day basis, but I was totally not prepared to have a vision, to have a strategy on how I would do this long term. And I think I’m still trying to figure it out.”

If you’re a new manager yourself, you’ll hear ideas for building trust across your new team and getting feedback from your direct reports. And if you’re not a manager yet, you’ll learn how to prepare for a leadership role.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, management, personal growth and transformation, building trust, first-time boss, getting feedback, new manager.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Ups and Downs of Being a First-Time Manager (Oct 2022).
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Cynthia Carroll was only a few months into leading the global mining firm Anglo American when she suspended operations in their South African platinum mine. She was concerned about worker fatalities there. But it was an unprecedented move, and it came at a huge cost for the company.

Harvard Kennedy School of Government research fellow Gautam Mukunda explains how Carroll, who he profiled in a business case, used that temporary shutdown to make changes to the company culture at Anglo American.

“This is the most complex environment I have ever studied for a corporate leader to operate in,” Mukunda tells Cold Call host Brian Kenny. “All of the stakes here are about as high as they can get.”

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, cross-cultural management, cultural awareness, managing yourself, culture change, managing stakeholders, energy and natural resources, decision making, unconventional leaders, ethics.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Dangerous Mines: Saving Lives Through Leadership (Sept. 2016)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Some managers are like teachers, sharing their skills and experience with their teams. Others are more like cheerleaders who encourage their direct reports to learn on their own. But Sari Wilde explains that the best managers are “connectors” who facilitate peer-to-peer coaching to help their people learn and grow.

Wilde is part of a team at Gartner Research that surveyed 5,000 managers around the world to understand how management style affects the success of a team. And they found that employee performance improves when you have a connector manager, she tells IdeaCast host Curt Nickisch.

Wilde explains what the best connector managers do, how to be one, and how to work for one. With Jaime Roca, Wilde wrote the book The Connector Manager: Why Some Leaders Build Exceptional Talent — and Others Don’t.

 Key episode topics include: leadership, developing employees, managing people, teams, building trust, networking.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why “Connector” Managers Build Better Talent (2019).
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Managing a team in good times is one skill set. But how do you motivate people when things aren’t going well?

Toto Wolff is the team principle and CEO of the Mercedes team, one of the most successful teams in the history of Formula One racing. But when the team’s eight-year winning streak unexpectedly ended, Wolff had to adjust his leadership style to get them back on track.

“This year, I got it wrong on several occasions, and probably to an effect where my control freakishness and trying to solve it myself annoyed some of the people that were actually in charge of the science,” Wolff admits. “There are certain areas where I have to just dial myself back a little bit and trust.”

He tells Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse about the difference between directing and leading, and how to help a struggling team learn from mistakes and move forward.

Key topics include: leadership, managing people, organizational culture, motivating people, and leadership qualities.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Watch the original HBR Quick Study episode: How to Fix a Broken Global Team (October 2016)
• Find more episodes of the HBR Quick Study series on YouTube.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Do you feel like your true self at work, or is going to work like putting on a mask? As leaders, we know we’re supposed to be authentic, but that is often easier said than done.

Babson College management professor Tina Opie explains how leaders can bring their best selves to work and help others do the same – by focusing on good communication and expressing emotion effectively.

“Humans automatically categorize other people. We automatically think, ‘OK. This kind of person is going to be more professional. This kind of person is not going to be,’” she tells Women at Work hosts Amy Bernstein, Sarah Green Carmichael, and Nicole Torres. “If you happen to fall into the latter category, you may have some additional work that you have to do to demonstrate that you are in fact fierce, professional, amazing.”

Key topics include: leadership, gender, authenticity, emotion at work, and interpersonal communication.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: Lead with Authenticity (February 2018)
• Find more episodes of Women at Work.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In this era of global business and hybrid work, managers must find ways to unify teams that are geographically and culturally separated.

Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley explains how one real-life manager, who she profiled in a business case, approached the challenge of leading a hugely diverse, underperforming group back to success.

“When you have this level of diversity, this many nationalities represented in a group, you have to have policies to make people effective,” Neeley tells Cold Call host Brian Kenny.

Key topics include: leadership, managing people, cross-cultural management, cultural awareness hybrid work, global teams, managing others, globalization, and motivation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: How to Fix a Broken Global Team (October 2016)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Filmmakers are the ultimate team leaders. Every auteur — think of Stanley Kubrick, Wong Kar-wai, Robert Altman — must manage tens of millions of dollars, staffs of hundreds, and intense deadlines, all while executing a creative vision.

“It’s exciting when you can keep refreshing the talent pool for a television show,” legendary actor, producer, and director Ron Howard tells IdeaCast host Alison Beard. “What’s going on behind the camera, it does affect the outcome of a film. And so casting the crew is vitally important.”

Howard has made popular and critically acclaimed movies, like A Beautiful Mind (2001), Apollo 13 (1995), and Frost/Nixon (2008). He’s directed Hollywood A-listers like Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Jay-Z, and even Bette Davis.

He reveals how he vets top acting talent for his movies and how he manages creative differences on set — including what he learned about handling temperamental collaborators from coaching kids basketball.

Key topics include: leadership, film making, cinema, fulfilling a creative vision, mentorship, leadership lessons from unexpected places, careers, creativity, and talent management. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Ron Howard on Collaborative Leadership and Career Longevity (December 2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

What does it take to get to the C-suite? Venture capitalist and former tech CEO Mike Troiano has direct experience with that journey.

“The most important thing you want to do to get to the next level is to be effective at the level you’re at,” he tells Dear HBR hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn. “Yes, dress for the job you want, but perform the job you have.”

Troiano takes questions from Dear HBR listeners about what to do if you’re falling off the executive track, or if you’re moving up but don’t believe in the company’s strategy. He also offers advice for interacting with a rival who could block your path to the C-suite.

Key topics include: leadership, leadership development, career planning, personal purpose and values, the realities of ambition, and managing up.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Executive Ambitions (May 2019)
• Find more episodes of Dear HBR.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

What can jazz great Miles Davis teach us about leading for innovation?

“I love Miles Davis’s quote. He says, if you’re not making a mistake, it’s a mistake,” says jazz pianist and management professor Frank Barrett. “So if everything you play is clean and fresh and slick, that means you’ve given up experimentation. And so, for jazz improvisation to work, there’s going to be mistakes and wrong notes.”

Barrett tells IdeaCast guest host Jeff Kehoe that jazz also teaches leaders the importance of forgiving mistakes that happen as part of exploration and experimentation, as well as why it’s important to move beyond problem-solving and embrace an improvisational mindset.

Key topics include: leadership, creativity, experimentation, collaboration and teams, and innovation.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: What Leaders Can Learn from Jazz (August 2012)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Rachel Carson is known as a gifted science writer and a trailblazing environmental activist. Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn argues that she also should be remembered as a great leader.

Carson’s 1962 classic book Silent Spring revealed the dangers of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and led to an almost global ban on organic synthetic pesticides within 15 years of its publication.

“She exercises such a profound impact on other people. That’s what leaders do,” Koehn tells IdeaCast guest host Adi Ignatius. “She was an introvert. She was shy. And yet she had more impact than most presidents.”

Carson’s story has lessons for any leader facing an overwhelming challenge that requires resilience and real-time skill-building. In addition, Carson’s ability to carry out her work, despite family commitments shows that caretaking is an act of leadership.

Key topics include: leadership, leadership qualities, personal productivity, overcoming obstacles, introverts, personal purpose and values, and personal resilience. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Real Leaders: Rachel Carson Seeds the Environmental Movement (March 2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more and HBR.org.

Popular stereotypes of successful CEOs as charismatic white men with Ivy League degrees who never falter under pressure are often misleading.  

“The CEOs I get to know up close and personal really look nothing like this image of perfection. And so we decided to dig into this with the data,” says Elena Botelho, who co-leads the CEO Genome Project and advises top leaders.  

Botelho tells IdeaCast host Sarah Green Carmichael that actual success in the C-suite has more to do with being decisive, staying adaptable, and delivering reliable results. 

Key topics include: leadership development, leadership transitions, decisiveness, adaptability, and results. 

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week. 

Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: 4 Behaviors of Top-Performing CEOs (May 2017) 

Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more: HBR.org