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 one billion dollars. 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, l...
Mar 12, 2025•24 min
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 ar...
Mar 05, 2025•27 min
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 mind...
Feb 26, 2025•32 min
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 t...
Feb 19, 2025•45 min
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 Hil...
Feb 12, 2025•31 min
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. B uckingham 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 ...
Feb 05, 2025•24 min
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 rea...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min
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 ...
Jan 22, 2025•32 min
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...
Jan 15, 2025•34 min
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 y...
Jan 08, 2025•26 min
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...
Jan 01, 2025•23 min
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 v...
Dec 25, 2024•15 min
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 four essential skills...
Dec 18, 2024•37 min
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 que...
Dec 11, 2024•13 min
If you had to describe your company’s culture in a single word, what would it be? Are you super flexible and casual? Are you collaborative and inclusive? Software executive Richard Sheridan argues that one key quality is missing from too many workplaces today: joy. 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 Fea...
Dec 04, 2024•30 min
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, manag...
Nov 27, 2024•11 min
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 tip...
Nov 20, 2024•37 min
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 soc...
Nov 13, 2024•31 min
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 ...
Nov 06, 2024•28 min
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 headquarter...
Oct 30, 2024•25 min
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: leaders...
Oct 23, 2024•37 min
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 e...
Oct 16, 2024•26 min
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 ...
Oct 09, 2024•13 min
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 ...
Oct 02, 2024•21 min
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...
Sep 25, 2024•35 min
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 ...
Sep 18, 2024•31 min
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 substan...
Sep 11, 2024•30 min
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 com...
Sep 04, 2024•41 min
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 leade...
Aug 28, 2024•59 min
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 organization...
Aug 21, 2024•15 min
