Categories: Leaders

Toyota: Sorry Seems to Be the Easiest Word

Posted by: Bruce Weinstein on February 05

Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, has apologized for his company’s debacle surrounding design flaws with various car models. Should we praise someone who does what he or she...

Davos: Business Leaders Focus on 5 Sustainability Themes

Posted by: Peter Lacy on January 29

As I write from the World Economic Forum, having attended an event with some of the UN leadership and CEOs from various sectors, I’m further reminded of the growing prominence...

Digitizing Davos

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 26

This is a guest post from author Don Tapscott, chairman of nGenera Insight and Adjunct Professor, Rotman School of Management. Follow him on Twitter: @dtapscott Notwithstanding that some very good...

Climate Change and Shakespeare

Posted by: Peter Lacy on December 15

What's the link between Shakespeare, consumers, and sustainability? Well, after listening to Muhtar Kent, speak at Kronborg Castle in Copenhagen, I believe it is clear that the big consumer brands are significantly stepping up their activities on sustainability

New Business Models for a Low Carbon Economy

Posted by: Bruno Berthon on December 15

What is clear to me after several days here at COP15 is that the focus has moved, from a business standpoint, deliberately towards solutions.

Copenhagen: A Call for Help from Policymakers to Business...and Vice Versa

Posted by: David Abood on December 11

In a cross-industry CEO breakout session, chief executives indicated that they believe the technologies are ready in many cases, and that the money is there. They said what they need is for policymakers to provide a clear set of desired outcomes and rules of engagement.

What is the Copenhagen ‘So What’ for Business Leaders?

Posted by: Peter Lacy on December 11

And therein lies the first Copenhagen ‘so what’ for me. Copenhagen will likely be remembered as a milestone on a longer journey rather than the ‘big deal.’

Seizing Opportunities During a Recovery

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 12

I had an interesting meeting with Damian McKinney, CEO of the consulting firm McKinney Rogers. His clients include Walmart, Bacardi and Pfizer. We discussed how CEOs are now struggling to...

The Mindset of an AIG executive

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 25

A few things struck me in the "resignation letter" of Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president of the American International Group’s financial products unit. (People don't normally forward their letters...

100 Top Leadership Blogs

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 04

Bestuniversities.com just published its list of the top 100 leadership blogs (Yes, we're on it) ... The categories are: Leadership Development, Youth and Student Leadership, Community Leadership, Managing Others, Female...

Memorable Quotes from the World Economic Forum in Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 31

"We don't need help. We are not invalids. We don't have limited mental capacity." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, responding to a question from Michael Dell on how the IT...

Turkish anger and an Israeli apology at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 30

Turkish diplomats may have fled Davos, along with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the Turkish business community has stayed behind. Erdogan, who stormed out of a forum with...

The Obama message disappoints at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

Valerie Jarrett, a top aide to Barack Obama, told delegates at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that the new U.S. Administration is committed to taking "aggressive and extraordinary action"...

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defends his country's role in crisis

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 28

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gave a blunt assessment of his peers' performance on Wednesday, in a speech to attendees at the World Economic Forum. "This annual meeting has a special...

Leadership Challenges and Skills in the Downturn

Posted by: Jena McGregor on November 02

My eyes often glaze over when it comes to new studies on leadership. We all know it's vitally important. Like diversity, women at the top, and ethical behavior, it's one...

CEOs on the Economic Crisis

Posted by: Jena McGregor on October 15

My colleague Cathy Arnst offers up a guest post from Cambridge, Mass., where she sat in on the Harvard Business School's Global Business Summit: What timing! Harvard Business School threw...

A Defining Moment

Posted by: Jena McGregor on September 26

It's always interesting to me to ask what CEOs are reading. Very rarely do I find that it's one of the hundreds of dull management guides that publishers churn...

CEO Turnover Falling

Posted by: Jena McGregor on September 04

It may be hot in August, but it was apparently a little cooler in corporate boardrooms this year than in years past. According to Liberum Research, which tracks executive turnover...

Gary Bettman--Hockey's Savior or Destroyer?

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 14

This has been one of the most exciting National Hockey League playoff series in recent memory. But does anyone care? (Some do) If they don't, there's always one mantra among...

Bezos on Innovation

Posted by: Jena McGregor on April 21

In last week's edition, I put together our annual package on the World's Most Innovative Companies. The theme of this year's package: How the smartest companies on innovation are thinking...

Parsons on Change

Posted by: Jena McGregor on March 17

Richard Parsons, who stepped down from the Time Warner CEO job in December, has been called the media company's fixer, a "prodigy" who stabilized one of the worst corporate mergers...

Great Debaters

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 10

There is only one reference to me (as far as I know) in Wikipedia -- the day I stood up in a floral Laura Ashley dress before a room full...

Ross Tucker, Management Guru

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 07

My colleague Brian Hindo points me to an interesting recent piece on Sports Illustrated's web site written by injured Washington Redskins lineman Ross Tucker. Tucker, who snapped the ball...

Advice from a CE-Yo

Posted by: Diane Brady on December 17

I have long admired Gary Hirshberg's business philosophy. The co-founder and chief of Stonyfield Farm combines his drive for profits with a deeply held desire to improve the environment. He...

The Revolving Door, NCAA Style

Posted by: Jena McGregor on December 04

I knew sooner or later I'd find a way to work college football into this blog. (For those who don't know me well, yes, I'm a rabid fan of SEC...

Leadership and Sword Fights?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on November 15

Looking for a new place to get your team out of the humdrum of the office for some team-building or leadership know-how? Now you can take them to the Olympics....

Planning a smooth succession

Posted by: Diane Brady on November 15

Succession is notoriously botched. Now comes Joseph Bower with a new book (The CEO Within) about the importance of nurturing "Inside Outsiders" in succession planning. What kind of creature is...

Even CFOs Don't Want to Be King

Posted by: Jena McGregor on November 14

No wonder so many people say there's not enough good talent for the top job. Even some of the managers most qualified to become CEOs don't want it. A new...

EQ=Economic Intelligence?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on November 08

I had an interesting breakfast yesterday morning with Rosalinde Torres, a partner in Boston Consulting Group's organizations practice. Torres, who has studied organizations ranging from governments in Africa to major...

Women Leaders on Security, Advancement and Hillary

Posted by: Diane Brady on October 25

Marie Wilson, founder and president of the White House Project, came in the other day for a Video View. Her primary mission was to promote a global conference taking place...

The Books You Need to Succeed

Posted by: Diane Brady on October 18

We spend a lot of time on this blog, looking at the merits of new books and studies that come our way every week. This time, I want to talk...

Reuben Mark Likes Retirement

Posted by: Jena McGregor on October 16

While he was CEO of Colgate-Palmolive--and at 23 years, that was a very long time--Reuben Mark was known for keeping Colgate a relatively private company. He was also known for...

Women Business Owners--Having It All?

Posted by: Diane Brady on September 07

I wanted to follow up on the earlier post. One way women succeed, of course, is to opt out of the workforce and go out on their own. A new...

The Ego Effect

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 03

Have you caught your CEO showing up to accept obscure awards in far-flung destinations? Staring at himself too much in the tinted glass of his corner office? On the cover...

Feeling Happy about Conrad Black.

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 13

Conrad Black won't find comfort from the CEO of his old company, Hollinger Inc. "We have believed for some time that the conduct of Mr. Black and his colleagues was criminal," G. Wesley Voorheis told me this afternoon. "This is a day of vindication for the prosecution and for innocent shareholders who, frankly, have been screwed."

Move over, Hillary Clinton

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 05

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano believes ambition is good, and that girls don't have enough of it. It's true. Recruiters and academics often tell me that the dearth of women in top corporate jobs stems as much from women not stepping up to the plate, as top brass refusing to elevate them.

Ed Koch on Clinton, Bloomberg and why he's shy

Posted by: Diane Brady on June 26

Ed Koch attributes the negative reaction to Hillary on women who "resent the fact that she stayed with him (Bill) after he diminished her in so many ways." ... And Mayor Michael Bloomberg? "I have no doubt he will be running."

Will Conrad Black Go Free?

Posted by: Diane Brady on June 18

Finally, the trial of former media mogul Conrad Black is winding down ... The trials of other high-living executives like former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy show that leaders can be acquitted of wrongdoing, even when people on their team declare themselves--and their boss--to be guilty. Stay tuned.

Signs of a Miserable Job

Posted by: Diane Brady on June 12

Management guru Pat Lencioni literally hopped into BusinessWeek's New York office the other day to talk about the three signs of a miserable job.

Does AIG have courageous leadership?

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 23

Heading a company like AIG, GE and Exxon Mobil forces you (by virtue of size) to also have a strong voice on issues affecting your industry. Which heads of public companies right now embrace the notion of courageous leadership? Some of the most outspoken leaders I've met are now working in private equity.

Inclusivity is the New Imperialism

Posted by: Jena McGregor on May 22

A new study by management consultants Booz Allen Hamilton found that involuntary executive turnover up 318% since 1995.

Now What for GE Plastics?

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 17

All these people talking about ecomagination and Six Sigma; all the ambitious execs shooting for a chance to get to a high-level pow wow at Crotonville. In many respects, employees feel they enter a social pact when joining a company like GE. What now?