Thought Leadership

What Our Founding Fathers Didn't Know Might Help Us

Edward Muzio | Posted 11.29.2011

Edward Muzio

We may want to update some of our old processes with our new knowledge. To that end, I humbly offer four truths of human interaction that are only about fifty years old.

Don't Do Marketing. Become A Thought Leader.

Brad Feld | Posted 11.23.2011

Brad Feld

One of the jokes in my little universe is that "every time I hear the word 'marketing' I throw up a little in my mouth."

When Wrong Makes Right: The Upside of Failure

Inder Sidhu | Posted 05.25.2011

Inder Sidhu

If you haven't achieved the success you thought you would by now, blame failure -- or, rather, the lack of it. The surprising truth about success is this: it often is the byproduct of repeated failures.

Solving the Rubik's Cube of Organizational Structure

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Dysfunctional or outdated organizational designs can make it difficult for managers to operate effectively. Here are some steps that managers can take towards simplifying their own structure.

Turn Down the Volume on Yelling!

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Organizations are made up of flawed human beings -- and all of us struggle with effective communication. So what can you do to deal with a loss of volume control either in yourself or others? Let me suggest two simple steps.

Can A Big Company Innovate Like A Start-Up?

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Start-up employees have a different psychology and motivation than those in established firms. Joining (or founding) a start-up is an act of faith -- the conviction that an idea eventually can become a sustained commercial success.

Davos Diary: Day Three

Nancy F. Koehn | Posted 05.25.2011

Nancy F. Koehn

The day dawned clear and cold in Davos, but most participants in the World Economic Forum here had little bandwidth for the weather.

How to Create Thought-Leading Ideas

Dorie Clark | Posted 05.25.2011

Dorie Clark

Becoming known as a thought leader -- an expert who develops innovative and sometimes game-changing ideas -- is partly a matter of good publicity. Aft...

How Leaders Create the Context for Strategy Execution

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Creating context -- on a regular basis -- is a critical part of every manager's job and could be considered a core competency of leadership. Without it, you might find yourself ahead of schedule, but not sure where you are heading.

Don't Let Your Next Crisis Go to Waste

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Crises create new working patterns spontaneously, but without conscious effort, these innovations cannot be sustained. The crisis becomes a part of company's folklore, rather than lasting performance.

Is Our Attitude Toward Suffering 'Let Them Eat Cake?'

Paul David Walker | Posted 11.17.2011

Paul David Walker

It seems to me that we as a nation are moving dangerously close to Marie Antoinette's attitude about the suffering of our people.

How to Avoid Death by Presentation

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

If you are suffering from death by PowerPoint -- or presentations in general -- here are several ways that you can simplify and improve your communications.

Will Bigger Be Better for United and Continental?

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

As with most mergers, the announcement this week that United Airlines was joining forces with Continental Airlines to become the world's largest airline touted all of the benefits of the combination.

Rethinking the Assumptions Behind Executive Pay

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Cross-posted from Harvard Business Online The gap between CEO compensation and that of the average worker continues to grow at an astounding rate. Ac...

Are You the Victim of an Invisible Promotion?

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

The "invisible promotion," where the job title and description stay the same but the responsibilities significantly expand.

Are Your Acquisitions Creating Complexity?

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Cross-posted from Harvard Business Online Have you ever worked for a company that's acquired another, or that's been acquired? Given the worldwide vo...

Do You Have Too Much on Your Plate?

Ron Ashkenas | Posted 05.25.2011

Ron Ashkenas

Cross-posted from Harvard Business Online The most common complaint that I hear from managers these days is that they simply have too much to do -- a...

C.E.O. Brooke Partridge Helps Lead Technology Thought in Developing World

Jim Luce | Posted 05.25.2011

Jim Luce

Brooke has been quietly moving behind the scenes for many years now helping technology companies strategize and tool up for successful revenue growth in emerging markets.