Risk Management
Only CEO Can Make BIG Bets
This post suggests that true innovation, rather than evolution, requires commitment above the pay grades of those who collect and analyze data. Only the CEO can use his/her 'educated gut' to chart the organization's...
Are You a Chicken or a Pig?
Prospective investors sometimes categorize start-up founders according to behaviors more commonly associated with barnyard animals, according to this post by an entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist. Which are ...
Tips for Crisis Leadership
Holding the top job exposes executives to crisis situations--sometimes sudden and always unpleasant. Here are six tips for how to weather the storm, provide effective leadership, and protect yourself.
CEOs on Recent Turmoil: Don't Panic
Downgrades, market turbulence, and economic woes make it difficult to plan AND communicate. What message should you be sending to your direct reports and theirs? This article offers a glimpse at how some executives...
Are YOU an Overconfident CEO?
New research finds that very bullish chief executives are more likely to offer voluntary earnings guidance and to fall short of the expectations they set. Identifying these 'overconfident' CEOs could have ...
Are You an Ambidextrous CEO?
When disruptive innovation threatens existing business models, leaders must finesse the internal tensions surrounding strategy, risk management, and investment. Experts recommend a sort of professional ambivalence in...
Is CIO Your Direct Report?
Given the opportunities and risk presented by IT strategy and implementation, this article asks why an organization's CIO doesn't always report directly to the chief executive. Does yours? Have you considered such a...
Is Your Mindset Type 1 or 2?
New Stanford research finds failure can fuel innovation. Type 1s are fearful of errors, while Type 2s fear losing out on opportunities and therefore are most open to innovative ideas. Which type are YOU?
Defining Moments for CEOs
Harlan Steinbaum recently published Tough Calls from the Corner Office: Top Business Leaders Reveal Their Career-Defining Moments. In this interview (video and edited transcript), he shares his own experiences and ...
Did Elop Do the Right Thing?
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop reportedly sent a memo to employees, urging radical innovation and drawing analogies with their market position and a 'burning platform.' Is this candor on the part of a new CEO wise or...
Redesigning the Board
A collective of CEOs met recently in Davos to discuss risk management and what they can do to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic events. One specific set of recommendations relates to how boards can reform to ...
Free GSB Webinar on Leading in a Crisis
Few CEOs are prepared when disaster strikes, yet their handling of a crisis can determine the trajectory of their careers and the firms they lead. This complimentary webinar, led by a Stanford prof, aims to educate...
Are You Nervous Enough?
LivingSocial, a daily coupon startup, drastically INCREASED their burn rate--and succeeded because of it. CEO Tim O'Shaughnessy suggests that, if you're not making decisions that make you really nervous, you're not...
WikiLeaks and Thee
Hero or goat--Julian Assange's disclosures have forced leaders in government--and increasing corporations--to reassess the role technology alone can play in protecting confidential information. CEOs should be...
Involuntary Transparency?
WikiLeaks' Julius Assange believes his firm's unauthorized disclosures create 'involuntary transparency.' Rumor has it the next leak will target a major corporation. Does your firm have a plan to protect c...
CEO's Guide to Corporate Finance
McKinsey Quarterly authors illustrate basic principles of economics as a framework for analyzing four types of decisions CEOs frequently confront: a potential acquisition, expansion project, divestiture and...
Performance: Necessary But Not Sufficient
Have an employee whose individual work is stellar but constantly creates internal conflict? Or whose personal life threatens to embarrass the firm? These complex situations abound, and avoidance can be a risky...
Dangerous Liaisons
This provocative post looks at ways in which sexual relationships in the workplace undermine careers--of those involved, and of those who cannot attract mentors due to fear of accusations. Do you consciously avoid...
'Wicked Problem' of Recovery
UPS CEO Scott Davis spoke recently to an audience at Wharton about the 'good old days' (before the Great Recession) and how he's led his organization through the subsequent turbulence.
CEO Hubris Test
How can board members exercise thoughtful oversight without interfering with strategically important initiatives? This professor who studies CEOs and boards suggests four tests when considering a...
