Leadership Lessons

Constant innovations in machine learning and robotics have reshaped work. A key lesson for leaders is to be aware of these changes and have clarity about the role they play in preparing employees for the future.

Not long ago, one of our global clients fell victim to a cyberattack. Forty-five thousand employees, worldwide, were suddenly disconnected from their email, calendars, spreadsheets — even their IP calling system went dark.

Many potential innovations die not because the idea is bad, but because innovators can’t win support to turn their ideas into reality. We call it the innovator’s paradox: the more groundbreaking your idea, the greater the risk, and the harder it is to win support.

Across a dozen fields – from social psychology to endocrinology to chronobiology – researchers are assembling a new science of breaks. Their main finding: Leaders and their teams should be taking more breaks.

Many leaders are increasingly facing the threat of their core business being encroached upon by upstarts outside of their industry. So, what differentiates the top innovative companies from those in the middle?

To help identify why someone might say no to your requests, you can refer to the acronym GREAT. GREAT outlines the five most common reasons why someone might say no to your request and helps you strategize how to get to yes.

How do you create a high performing, resilient organization in times of stress and uncertainty? By developing your own internal capacity following the principles of “conscious leadership,” one of the four key tenets of “conscious capitalism.”

History teaches us that disruptive change is bad news for even the best run incumbents. How can executives confront the dilemmas of disruption?

Your attention is your most valuable asset. Here’s how you can spend it wisely.

The fate of your business rests largely on the willingness of individuals to choose to invest their best discretionary effort in your company’s cause — to dig deep for innovative ideas, to imagine solutions outside any box, to perceive subtle shifts and faint signals.

“Superbosses” are known in their industries not merely for their innovation and financial success, but for spawning a generation of leaders.

Bigger might not be better when it comes to getting access to more diverse perspectives.

For 30 years I have been researching midsized, little-known global market leaders. I often observe five common traits in these leaders.

A big part of the innovation challenge for large pharma companies is that while researchers are very good at technical innovation, the business end is not.