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Hiring Without Firing
Leadership Magazine ArticleHitting the hiring bull’s-eye is one of an executive’s most important—and most difficult—responsibilities. Ten common mistakes can get in the way, but a pointed and systematic approach can virtually guarantee success. -
The Quick Wins Paradox
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleMany leaders taking on new roles try to prove themselves early on by going after quick wins - fresh, visible contributions to the business. But in the... -
The Rise of the Not-So-Experienced CEO
Organizational Development Digital ArticleToday's leaders are leapfrogging traditional candidates. -
Each Employee's Retirement Is Unique
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleHave a process, but tailor it to each individual. -
Siblings and Succession in the Family Business (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleHow do family businesses handle succession? What happens when siblings compete for the position of CEO? Can nonfamily board members navigate successfully... -
Obama's Taxing Transition
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleThis post is part of our in-depth look at Obama's First 90 Days in office. What a difference a few days can make to the trajectory of a transition. At... -
Changing Leaders: The Board’s Role in CEO Succession: A Roundtable with Philip Caldwell, George D. Kennedy, G. G. Michelson, Henry Wendt, and Alfred M. Zeien
Corporate governance Magazine ArticleA Roundtable with Philip Caldwell, George D. Kennedy, G. G. Michelson, Henry Wendt, and Alfred M. Zeien The selection of a CEO is one of the most important decisions a board of directors makes. Not only does a chief executive have an enormous impact on the fortunes of a company, but the very process by […] -
The Successor’s Dilemma
Collaboration and teams Magazine ArticleLeadership transitions go awry with alarming frequency, often the result of an emotionally charged power struggle between the CEO and his would-be heir. Four practices, however, can help successors defuse the crisis—and make it to the top. -
Transferring Power in The Family Business
Change management Magazine ArticleOne of the most agonizing experiences that any business faces is the moving from one generation of top management to the next. The problem is often most acute in family businesses, where the original entrepreneur hangs on as he watches others try to help manage or take over his business, while at the same time, […] -
You're Never Too Experienced to Fake It Till You Learn It
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleEven seasoned leaders are works in progress. -
Succeeding at Succession
Succession planning Magazine ArticleFor too long, boards have relied on rules of thumb and conventional wisdom when picking CEOs. So we took a look at the numbers—and found some surprises. -
Leaving Well: George Bush and the Presidential Transition
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleIn Macbeth, Shakespeare's meditation on the corrupting influence of power, the protagonist's plot to seize the throne fails and he faces execution. It... -
“A Players” or “A Positions”?: The Strategic Logic of Workforce Management
Succession planning Magazine ArticleA single-minded focus on finding and developing A players misses the point. A better approach is first to identify strategically critical jobs, then to invest disproportionately to ensure that the right people—doing the right things—are in those positions. -
On Stepping Down Gracefully
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleHow you handle yourself in your final weeks and months in power will have a big impact on how you are remembered. -
Businesses Need to Bring Younger Employees into Their Leadership Ranks
Business and society Digital ArticleToday’s most intractable challenges require an intergenerational approach. -
Are You Picking the Right Leaders?
Succession planning Magazine ArticleWhen the time comes to hire or promote, executives routinely overvalue certain traits and skills while overlooking other attributes that actually make leaders effective. It doesn’t have to be that way. -
The Urgent vs. The Important
Leadership & Managing People Digital Article"I get completely caught up in fire-fighting and can't find the time to advance my longer-term priorities." This is a common managerial lament, the frustration... -
Who’s Really Responsible for P&G’s Succession Problems?
Succession planning Digital ArticleMany boards struggle with succession practices. -
How Boards Can Set a New CEO Up for Success
Leadership transitions InterviewAn interview with Ram Charan. -
Holes at the Top: Why CEO Firings Backfire
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleFor better or worse, investors now view chief executives as the primary determinant of corporate performance. But the reality is that most companies perform...
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THE WOODVILLE REPUBLICAN: FAMILY FIRM OR COMMUNITY ASSET?
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Andy Lewis was the fourth-generation publisher and editor of a small family- owned newspaper in rural Mississippi. Lewis faced the challenges of operating... -
Marimekko
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Kirsti Paakkanen has achieved a celebrity status in Finland for her enigmatic leadership of the Finnish design company Marimekko. Purchasing the company... -
Seven Rules for New Leaders
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details Provides guidelines for how to successfully enter a new senior management position. Identifies key traps into which new leaders fall and provides a framework... -
Professionalization of Ujwal Bharati
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details The case is woven around the decision dilemma faced by the second generation managing director of Ujwal Bharati Pharmaceuticals, a mid-size business.... -
Mysore Saree Udyog: Establishing a culture of professionalism in a family business
Management Case Study11.95View Details Mysore Saree Udyog is an iconic retail store in Bangalore for sarees, fabric and other Indian traditional wear. Its success rests on the family's merchandising... -
QADRI-GROUP: SUSTAINING BEYOND THE FIRST 100 YEARS
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details The case describes the situation of over a hundred years old, family-owned, and male-managed business group - Qadri-Group (QG). QG was facing challenges... -
Assessing Managerial Talent at AT&T (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details Provides background on the assessment center used by AT&T to assess managerial potential for upper middle management. Contains assessment reports for... -
Reimagining Enel: Enabling Sustainable Progress (A)
Organizational Development Case Study11.95View Details CEO Francesco Starace is considering what is next for Enel SpA, one of world's largest energy companies. From 2014 to 2022, he has wrought a dramatic... -
Dr. Iqbal Surve at Sekunjalo Investment Group (A)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Dr. Iqbal Surve, a self-described "medical doctor, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur," was born in 1963 and grew up in poverty, like virtually all... -
Monsanto's March into Biotechnology (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Very early in the history of biotechnology (about 1979), Monsanto made a major commitment to move into this field. This case recounts the history from... -
Phil Knight Managing Nike's Transformation
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Describes Nike's responses to market and competitive challenges as well as its attempts at an organizational transformation from unstructured entrepreneurial... -
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Boards (Paperback + Ebook)
Leadership & Managing People Special Offer34.95View Details Keep shareholders happy and manage for the long term. Earning a board seat is a rite of passage. But directors must juggle many responsibilities, from... -
Passing the Baton at Japanese Unicorn SmartHR: A Rare Move in Business Succession
Management Case Study11.95View Details This case follows the entrepreneurial journey of SmartHR founder Shoji Miyata as he led his company to become the leading cloud player in the human resources... -
Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (B)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
André Bolduc's Maple Syrup Farm: A Canadian Family Tradition
Management Case Study11.95View Details In fall 2021, André Bolduc was contemplating retirement and passing down his maple syrup farm, or "sugar bush," to his children. David Bolduc, the youngest... -
Windhorse Farm's Eco-Woodshop Guitar Top Decision
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details The owner of Windhorse Farm (WHF), a sustainably run woodlot and woodshop that produces building products as well as "tonewood" (wood used for guitar,... -
Ireland Renovations: Budgeting for Future Growth
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details In mid-2019, the owner of Ireland Renovations was contemplating the future of his renovation and construction company that operated in London and Middlesex... -
Sonoco Products Company (A): Building a World-Class HR Organization (Abridged)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Describes the steps the vice-president of human resources takes in revamping an HR function that was noncooperative and, at times, competitive and introducing... -
Ruma's Fruit and Gift Basket World: Will Dad Ever Talk to Me?
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details Andrea Ruma has worked for three years at Ruma's Fruit and Gift Basket (Ruma's), a 112- year- old family business in Massachusetts. Andrea is trying to...
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Hiring Without Firing
Leadership Magazine ArticleHitting the hiring bull’s-eye is one of an executive’s most important—and most difficult—responsibilities. Ten common mistakes can get in the way, but a pointed and systematic approach can virtually guarantee success. -
Leadership Transitions and Team Building: Leadership Collection (2 Ebooks)
50.00View Details The Leadership Transitions and Team Building Collection includes two important books: "The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded," by Michael D. Watkins,... -
When the CEO Can't Let Go (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleEvery morning, Paul Marsh, the chairman, president, and CEO of Kansas-based Coltrane Farm Equipment & Manufacturing, climbs the six flights of stairs... -
Hans Fritz at Novartis Thailand (A): The First Month
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Dr. Hans Fritz is 37 years old when he arrives in Bangkok on March 1, 1998 to assume his position as general manager of Novartis Thailand. Novartis is... -
Boards Are Terrible at Their Most Important Job
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleHow directors should manage a new CEO. -
An Exploration of Entrepreneurs' Identities and Business Growth
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Digital ArticleThe purpose of this study is to determine whether certain types of identities are more likely than others to be present before and during business growth.... -
How Managers Become Leaders
Leadership & Managing People Magazine ArticleFew managerial transitions are more difficult than making the move from leading a function to leading an entire enterprise for the first time. The scope... -
The Most Successful CEOs Come from Within
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleThis blog post is part of the HBR Online Forum The CEO's Role in Fixing the System. To achieve sustained growth and profit in today's hyper-competitive... -
Succession and Failure (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleNorman Windom, the chairman of Tiverton Media, may not know much about the world of popular music, but he does fancy himself a careful planner and a superb... -
3 Ways Executives Can Manage Challenging Moments in Their Careers
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleIf you don't have the answers, start asking questions.