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

Many of us have internal beliefs—I need it done now, I know I’m right, I need to be involved—that feel like truth but actually hold us back as leaders. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins calls these counterproductive beliefs “hidden blockers,” and she talks Women at Work hosts Amy Gallo and Amy Bernstein through the process of identifying theirs and then reframing them. They also look at how blockers show up in team and organizational behavior, like when lack of trust results in too many meetings, and discuss how leaders can shift culture by first examining and adjusting their own assumptions.

Nicholas Pearce, clinical associate professor at Kellogg School of Management, says too many companies—and individuals—lack a clear sense of purpose. He argues “the best companies are ones that not only have a purpose for themselves but also attract and hire people whose individual senses of purpose align with the company’s purpose.” This means companies that are not simply profit-driven tend to be more likely to succeed. And individuals who align their daily job with their authentic life’s work will be happier and more productive. Pearce is also a pastor, an executive coach, and the author of the book The Purpose Path: A Guide to Pursuing Your Authentic Life’s Work.

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
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• 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.
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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.