Description
Leadership isn’t trait, it’s a set of skills.
Whether you’re managing up or motivating a team, HBR On Leadership is your destination for insights and inspiration from the world’s top leadership practitioners and experts.
Every Wednesday, the editors at the Harvard Business Review hand-picked case studies and conversations with global business leaders, management experts, academics, from across HBR to unlock the best in those around you.
Episodes
- 2024 / 12 / 18How to Master Office Politics Without Compromising Your ValuesWhen 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...
- 2024 / 12 / 11The Questions Leaders Need to Be Asking ThemselvesWhat 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...
- 2024 / 12 / 4How to Cultivate Joy on Your TeamIf 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...
- 2024 / 11 / 27How to Repair a Broken Relationship at WorkAre 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...
- 2024 / 11 / 20How to Manage an Employee Who Gets on Your NervesDo 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...
- 2024 / 11 / 13Why DEI Still Matters (and How to Get It Right)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...
- 2024 / 11 / 6How Large Firms Can Get Innovation RightThink 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....
- 2024 / 10 / 30Should Your Business Take a Stand on Societal Issues?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...
- 2024 / 10 / 23Are Your Best Employees Eyeing the Door?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?...
- 2024 / 10 / 16How to Make Better Hiring and Firing DecisionsJoel 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...
- 2024 / 10 / 9How to Get People to Listen to YouKnowing 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...
- 2024 / 10 / 2Why Founders Need to Focus More on Sales and MarketingHarvard 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 25What It Really Takes to Be a ManagerAre 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 18Former MA Governor Charlie Baker on Solving Complex ProblemsIf 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 11How to Manage Breakthrough InnovationHow 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 4Chobani’s Founder on Mission-Driven EntrepreneurshipChobani 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 28Are You Ready to Be a Leader?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...
- 2024 / 8 / 21Leadership Lessons from a NASA TragedyIn 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 14The Key to Abraham Lincoln’s LeadershipIn 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 7Lessons from Maggie Lena Walker’s Entrepreneurial LeadershipGrowing 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 31NBA Star Chris Paul on Communicating as a LeaderMost 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 24How to Coach an Employee Who’s Struggling to PerformDo 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 17How to Embrace Ambiguity When Making DecisionsMaking 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 10What Is Psychological Safety, Really?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...
- 2024 / 7 / 3Getting Project Management RightMany 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 26Leadership Lessons from Adventurer and Environmentalist Rick RidgewayMountains 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 19How to Solve Your Company’s Toughest ProblemsYou’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...
- 2024 / 6 / 12How GitLab Leads Its Fully Remote WorkforceGitLab, 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 5Deloitte’s Pixel: A Case Study on How to Innovate from WithinIn 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...
- 2024 / 5 / 29How to Make Your Leadership Potential More VisibleDo 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...
- 2024 / 5 / 22Is Your Team Keeping You Up at Night?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...
- 2024 / 5 / 15What It Takes to Build Influence at WorkDo 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...
- 2024 / 5 / 8When Your Star Employee LeavesIf 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...
- 2024 / 5 / 1Sharing Personal Information Can Build Trust on Your Team — If You Do It RightSome 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,...
- 2024 / 4 / 24Managing Your Emotions During an Argument at WorkWhen 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...
- 2024 / 4 / 17Crisis Leadership Lessons from Polar Explorer Ernest ShackletonIn 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...
- 2024 / 4 / 10How to Make Tough Decisions as a ManagerImagine 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...
- 2024 / 4 / 3Do You Understand the Problem You’re Trying to Solve?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...
- 2024 / 3 / 27When a Top Performer Is Treating Colleagues BadlyNotes (iTunes) 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 20When You Make the Leap to ManagerWhat 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 13How to Become More Persuasive at WorkIf 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 6How to Lead Great Conversations with Your TeamSome 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...
- 2024 / 2 / 28How Etsy Became Profitable — Without Sacrificing Its PurposeEtsy, 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...
- 2024 / 2 / 21Great Leaders Balance Ambition with HumilityThe 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?...
- 2024 / 2 / 14How the Best Leaders Drive InnovationIf 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:...
- 2024 / 2 / 7From the U.S. Senate to Diplomacy—John Kerry’s Leadership LessonsJohn 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...
- 2024 / 1 / 31How to Become a Better ManagerJulie 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...
- 2024 / 1 / 243 Things Great Leaders Do DifferentlyAs 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...
- 2024 / 1 / 17The Art of Giving FeedbackIf 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...
- 2024 / 1 / 10Building a Culture of Respect on Your TeamDo 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...