HBR On Leadership

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. 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...

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 lear...

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. 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.

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 h...

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 comm...

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. 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...

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 workforc...

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, “Deloi...

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...

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? Leadership coach and author 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...

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 fra...

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. 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 f...

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 there is a way to strike the right balance, according to Lisa Rosh, an assistant professor of management at the Sy Syms School of Business...

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.

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. 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...

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. 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 o...

Problem solving skills are invaluable in any job. But Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg says that all too often, we jump to find solutions to a problem without taking time to really understand the dilemma we face. Wedell-Wedellsborg is 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...

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 this episode, you’ll learn how to imagine multiple perspectives, 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.

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 behavioral insights, emotions, and the psychology of communication. She takes questions from listeners who are struggling...

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...

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...

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-dr...

The key to success as a leader is to strike a careful balance between ambition and humility. In this episode, Amer Kaissi explains how to get this balance right and how to avoid the pitfalls that can accompany being too humble or not ambitious enough. 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: T...

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...

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. He shares the leadership lessons he learned over many years of leadership in the public sector—from influencing people to recovering from defeats, handling leadershi...