Solving the Problem of Remote Work

Solving the Problem of Remote Work

06/11/2023

A framework to help leaders approach the topic more holistically and effectively. The discussion around remote work — which has dominated news headlines, Slack conversations and water-cooler chats since countries relaxed their Covid-19 guidelines — is only getting more contentious. Many workers wish to continue working remotely in some capacity, while insisting that leaders’ productivity […]

Making Stress Work for Organisations

Making Stress Work for Organisations

01/11/2023

Moderate stress boosts performance. But can companies determine “optimal” stress levels for their employees? In our time-starved, hyper-connected world, few things remain constant. One of them is stress. From presenting in an important meeting to catching the rush-hour train, or simply worrying about what others think of us, we experience varying levels of stress in […]

The Challenges of Networking as an Executive

The Challenges of Networking as an Executive

20/09/2023

Look online at any of the thousands of articles available on the challenges of networking for a job, and you’ll find that 100% of them give advice on how relatively junior professionals can network “up.” But surprisingly little advice is available for senior executives, who experience a different but equally challenging set of networking hurdles. […]

How to Secure Support for Your ERG’s Initiatives

How to Secure Support for Your ERG’s Initiatives

14/08/2023

Employee resource groups, more commonly known as staff networks in the UK, have served as important vehicles for promoting inclusion and advocating for traditionally underestimated segments of workers with shared identities and interests. Unfortunately, many ERGs aren’t given the resources, budget, and attention they need to fulfill that promise. Here are some concerns I’ve seen […]

3 Ways to Make a Winning Board Presentation

3 Ways to Make a Winning Board Presentation

21/07/2023

For most executives, even those at the most senior level, a presentation to the board of directors is the most demanding test of leadership communications. Very few succeed. Conversations with more than 100 public and private boards directors over the last decade reveal that dissatisfaction with presentations is nearly universal. PowerPoint decks are too long, […]

Protecting DEI Progress When Budgets Are Tight

Protecting DEI Progress When Budgets Are Tight

23/06/2023

The layoffs and hiring freezes sweeping the tech industry and beyond have hurt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) teams, putting carefully wrought efforts to build more inclusive workplaces at risk. Time will tell if the commitments companies made in 2020 and 2021 were inauthentic or a flash in the pan, a fear for many DEI […]

State of grocery Europe 2023: Living with and responding to uncertainty

State of grocery Europe 2023: Living with and responding to uncertainty

18/05/2023

In 2022, European grocery was characterized by unprecedented inflation and increasing consumer price sensitivity. Consumers traded down, and grocers experienced substantial cost pressure. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector had largely concluded by the end of the year. In the second half of 2023, we expect European grocery to start recovering. Key […]

Top priorities for dairy executives in 2023

Top priorities for dairy executives in 2023

15/04/2023

A volatile economic, political, and environmental climate has affected the entire dairy supply chain in recent years. Executives of dairy companies have had to navigate inflation, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, and climate change, not to mention changing regulations and political conflict. At the same time, the dairy industry has been a site of innovation, […]

8 Questions to Ask Before Selecting a New Board Leader

8 Questions to Ask Before Selecting a New Board Leader

10/02/2023

Today’s corporate boards are under a lot of scrutiny. They must respond to activist shareholders, concerned employees, community members, and others in a hyper-sensitive political environment. They’re also tasked with ensuring diversity in their organizations, as well as their own ranks. Board leadership is more important — and urgent — than ever. Unfortunately, our collective […]

A CEO’s guide to the metaverse

A CEO’s guide to the metaverse

09/02/2023

Suddenly, the metaverse is in the zeitgeist, for better or worse. Investment more than doubled in 2022 powered by big moves (such as Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, now under antitrust review) and small ones (about $12 billion to $14 billion of venture capital and private equity investment). Everyone has heard about the […]

9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2023 and Beyond

9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2023 and Beyond

06/02/2023

In 2022, business leaders faced an increasingly unpredictable environment, with evolving return-to-office policies, higher employee turnover, and burned-out employees (more than ever before, in fact). In 2023, organizations will continue to face significant challenges: a competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, and pressure to control costs amid a looming economic downturn. How employers respond could […]

6 Ways to Reenergize a Depleted Team

6 Ways to Reenergize a Depleted Team

21/11/2022

A client of Ron’s, “Kelsey,” a division general manager of a large food manufacturer, recently told him, “Everyone on my team seems tired…all the time. I ask them how they’re doing, and they tell me ‘fine.’ If someone asks for time off, I say yes. They get the work done, but it seems like they’re […]

How Companies Should Set — and Report — DEI Goals

How Companies Should Set — and Report — DEI Goals

14/10/2022

Can setting workforce diversity goals and posting progress reports help companies move the needle on diversity? This approach has spread like wildfire in the last two years. It’s too soon to tell whether the new fad is working, so we turned to past experience of firms that set goals and posted progress as early as […]

Navigating regulatory uncertainty in packaging: A new wave of chemical-substance regulations

Navigating regulatory uncertainty in packaging: A new wave of chemical-substance regulations

05/08/2022

New, stricter regulations on the use of certain chemicals in the packaging industry are emerging rapidly: restrictions on bisphenol A (BPA) in the European Union and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the United States being two of the most notable. With the recent release of the European Commission’s 2030 “Restrictions roadmap under the chemicals […]

How to Ask for Feedback from an Interviewer

How to Ask for Feedback from an Interviewer

26/05/2022

Susan was certain she’d receive an offer after 10 interviews for a VP-level role, but she ultimately didn’t get the job. She was hesitant to ask for feedback after the exhausting process and assumed it would be fruitless anyway. But after we spent time in coaching discussing how to approach the request for feedback, she […]

How Companies Can Prepare for a Long Run of High Inflation

How Companies Can Prepare for a Long Run of High Inflation

08/05/2022

While consumers generally dislike inflation because it erodes the purchasing power of their income, businesses desire a steady level of inflation because investments made in today’s prices yield higher profits and returns in the future. Governments also like low and steady inflation. With inflation, government’s long-term borrowing needs to be repaid at a lower real […]

How Cofounders Can Prevent Their Relationship from Derailing

How Cofounders Can Prevent Their Relationship from Derailing

21/04/2022

When you start and grow a company with a cofounder, that person becomes your key relationship. There’s no more intimate relationship in business, and yet people often don’t think carefully in advance about how to make those partnerships work. That can be fatal for your venture since, according to Noam Wasserman, author of The Founder’s […]

Do You Need a Career Coach?

Do You Need a Career Coach?

13/02/2022

Career coaches provide a range of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do to exploring opportunities for professional growth to supporting you through the ups and downs of looking for a new job. Engaging with a career coach requires an investment of time and money, so it’s important to do your […]

Setting Career Priorities When Everything Is Uncertain

Setting Career Priorities When Everything Is Uncertain

14/01/2022

When you head into any new year, it’s natural to think about where your career stands and where it’s going. Companies traditionally notify employees of compensation changes and bonuses for last year’s performance in these first few months. They also announce promotions and reorganizations in line with succession planning and company strategy. As a result, […]

How to speak so that people want to listen
6 Strategies to Boost Retention Through the Great Resignation

6 Strategies to Boost Retention Through the Great Resignation

02/12/2021

There is a widening mismatch between the job environment employees want — and now expect — and the one their organizations have. That’s the finding of conversations we’ve had with top executives of dozens of companies over the last several months, multiple global surveys we’ve conducted to learn what employees want, and our examination of […]

How to Get Your Brain to Focus

How to Get Your Brain to Focus

30/11/2021

The latest research is clear: the state of our attention determines the state of our lives. So how do we harness our attention to focus deeper, get distracted less, and even become more creative? Chris Bailey, author of the recent book Hyperfocus, talks about how our ability to focus is the key to productivity, creativity, […]

5 New Rules for Leading a Hybrid Team

5 New Rules for Leading a Hybrid Team

29/11/2021

While hybrid is often presented as a new model, the fundamentals of what transforms a group of people into an exceptional team haven’t changed as much as we might think. When I was the senior vice president of people operations at Google, we had many employees, especially in engineering and sales, who worked from home a […]

How to write a great out-of-office reply

How to write a great out-of-office reply

23/10/2021

“I WILL BE back in the office [in two weeks] and have limited Wi-Fi connection in the meantime.” It is safe to assume that readers of this column are familiar with something like this message (which, like all the others cited below, comes from real life). As with all aspects of office culture, the autoreply […]

Visualizing the Rise of Cryptocurrency Transactions

Visualizing the Rise of Cryptocurrency Transactions

19/10/2021

How can investors track stock markets around the world? Using the MSCI All Countries World Index Investable Market Index (MSCI ACWI IMI), investors can benchmark their portfolios to a comprehensive group of developed and emerging markets. With over $4.2 trillion in assets benchmarked to the ACWI—about 4% of all managed assets globally—the index is widely […]

6 Strategies to Help Your Company Weather Inflation

6 Strategies to Help Your Company Weather Inflation

15/10/2021

With the economic recovery gaining steam amid an uncertain pandemic path, companies are scrambling to deal with increasing commodity prices, supply constraints, and higher wages caused by labor shortages. In the first half of 2021, the producer price index (PPI) rose 10% in the G7 countries. The PPI measures the prices of goods immediately postproduction […]

The World’s 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2021

The World’s 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2021

12/10/2021

The World’s Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2021 In 2020, the global economy experienced one of the worst declines since the Great Depression. Yet, while the ripple effects of COVID-19 have thrown many businesses into disarray, some companies have not only managed to stay afloat amidst the chaos—they’ve thrived. Using data from Kantar BrandZ, […]

Mapped: The World’s Fastest Growing eCommerce Markets

Mapped: The World’s Fastest Growing eCommerce Markets

07/10/2021

Bringing the World Into Focus: A Guide to MSCI Indexes Economic development around the world has led investors to consider broadening their investment exposures. But with nearly 30,000 equity securities available globally, the universe is far too large for an investor to filter by themselves. In this sponsored infographic from MSCI, we explain their index […]

The 20 Fastest Growing Jobs in the Next Decade

The 20 Fastest Growing Jobs in the Next Decade

05/10/2021

The employment landscape is constantly shifting. While agricultural jobs played a big role in the 19th century, a large portion of U.S. jobs today are in administration, sales, or transportation. So how can job seekers identify the fastest growing jobs of the future? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects there will be 11.9 […]

The Top 100 Companies of the World: The U.S. vs Everyone Else

The Top 100 Companies of the World: The U.S. vs Everyone Else

05/08/2021

Ranked: the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2021 This year has been rife with pandemic-induced changes that have shifted corporate priorities—and yet, innovation has remained a top concern among corporations worldwide. Using data from the annual ranking done by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) using a poll of 1,600 global innovation professionals, this graphic ranks […]

4 Strategies for Building a Hybrid Workplace that Works

4 Strategies for Building a Hybrid Workplace that Works

02/08/2021

By all indications the future of work is hybrid: 52% of U.S. workers would prefer a mix of working from home and the office, saying it has a positive impact on their ability to be creative, solve problems and build relationships. Global research tells us 72% of corporate leaders plan to offer a hybrid model, […]

Ranked: The Most Innovative Companies in 2021

Ranked: The Most Innovative Companies in 2021

30/07/2021

This year has been rife with pandemic-induced changes that have shifted corporate priorities—and yet, innovation has remained a top concern among corporations worldwide. Using data from the annual ranking done by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) using a poll of 1,600 global innovation professionals, this graphic ranks the top 50 most innovative companies in 2021. We’ll […]

A Visual Guide to Human Emotion

28/05/2021

A Visual Guide to Human Emotion Despite vast differences in culture around the world, humanity’s DNA is 99.9% similar. There are few attributes more central and universal to the human experience than our emotions. Of course, the broad spectrum of emotions we’re capable of experiencing can be difficult to articulate. That’s where this brilliant visualization […]

Use Art to Reignite Your Team’s Motivation

26/03/2021

As we reach the one-year mark of working from home, remote teams are at risk of losing motivation. By drawing on techniques used by creatives, business leaders can revitalize teams and spark fresh momentum and innovation. For example, studies show that jazz musicians’ improvisational skills are achieved via heightened sensory activity in the brain alongside a […]

The Crazy World of Stonks Explained

25/03/2021

View the full-size version of this infographic here You may have seen diamond hands, rockets, and r/wallstreetbets rallying cries in the past few weeks—but what does it all mean? In this graphic we explain the events that led to an explosive rise in GameStop’s share price, along with the Reddit revolution fueling it. Gamestop’s stock […]

What to Do When Your Employee Is Totally Checked Out

11/03/2021

It’s frustrating when a member of your team has mentally checked out. In some cases, this person does only the bare minimum. In other cases, they fail to meet important deadlines, or they drop the ball on critical projects. How can you determine what’s going on? What can you do to address the issue when […]

How to Plan Your Life When the Future Is Foggy at Best

08/03/2021

The year 2020 did not turn out as we planned. Unemployment rates in the U.S. are close to twice what they were in February of 2020, and the number of people furloughed is still towering over February averages. Plus, with the profound shakeup of our daily lives, a lot of folks are asking, What do […]

How to Capitalize On the Coming M&A Wave

24/02/2021

Well-capitalized companies will soon face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make acquisitions and consolidate power. As the Covid-19 crisis continues and the full brunt of its economic impact becomes clear, weaker players that had been given some breathing room by temporary government support programs or by falling back on their cash reserves, are likely to experience […]

Giving Critical Feedback Is Even Harder Remotely

19/02/2021

Delivering constructive feedback is nerve-wracking in the best of times — most managers don’t want to crush their employees’ spirits. These tough conversations are even harder to have as multiple crises and their side effects wear on, which can make the negativity bias that often accompanies them even worse. To top it all off, a […]

The Secret to Building Resilience

17/02/2021

An anesthesiologist we’ll call Jacob used to describe his job as “90% boredom, 10% horror.” With a few exceptions of challenging surgeries and managing a department of several hundred physicians and nurses, most of the time, Jacob’s role was routine. But that was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Since anesthesiology is not a specialty that can […]

Boards Are Obstructing ESG — at Their Own Peril

05/02/2021

The list of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues that can pose financial risks to corporations exploded in 2020: climate change, water scarcity, pollution, #metoo, #blacklivesmatter, worker welfare, employee diversity, corruption, human rights abuses, supply chain scandals…not to mention Covid-19. Yet while many investors and chief executives now take ESG seriously in their decision making, […]

How to Support an Employee with a Chronic Health Condition

03/02/2021

In the United States, 60% of adults have at least one chronic health condition: illnesses or conditions like chronic pain and fatigue that last at least one year and require ongoing management or restrict an individual’s activities. These numbers don’t include Covid-19 “long-haulers,” or the 10% of those who experience lingering symptoms, such as difficulties with […]

How to Set Up an Ethics Advisory Board

29/01/2021

In the face of an ever-growing array of ethical dilemmas, many organizations may benefit from establishing an Ethics Advisory Board, or EAB. While EABs are still a new concept (and they don’t always work out), they can provide very real value, offering crucial perspectives from diverse, external stakeholders on ethically fraught decisions pertaining to anything […]

7 Strategies to Build a More Resilient Team

27/01/2021

Announcing Q4 results that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations, Apple CEO Tim Cook identified resilient, high-functioning teams as a key element that fortified the company in the midst of the pandemic’s unprecedented challenges. “Even though we’re apart, it’s been obvious this year that around the company, teams and colleagues have been leaning on and counting on […]

Worried You Might Be in a Dying Industry?

13/01/2021

Any business in any sector is ultimately vulnerable to disruption or obsoletion if it doesn’t plan and adapt for the future. Technological progress creates lots of opportunities but also leaves destruction in its wake. Much of that destruction exacts a human cost in the form of jobs that are lost as one company or industry […]

Cross-Team Meetings Don’t Have to Be a Waste of Time

08/01/2021

There is a frustrating familiarity about meetings with other departments, with an outcome you can predict even before the conversation begins: Heads will nod, there will be vague statements or a call for more data, and then unfailingly, you’ll repeat the same conversation repeated next time. Eyes roll, progress stalls, yet no one calls out […]

What Inclusive Leaders Sound Like

09/12/2020

Illustration by HBR Staff When leaders commit to building an inclusive organization, they tend to start with the company mission, vision, values, and a promise to ensure everyone in the organization has a voice. But if they don’t change the way they communicate every day with their employees, leaders are missing a crucial piece. In […]

The Case for Asking Sensitive Questions

03/12/2020

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images “How much money do you make?” We often avoid asking questions that feel too sensitive or personal. But avoiding these potentially awkward conversations comes at a cost: When negotiating a salary or choosing where to live, for example, it can be very useful to know how much a coworker earns or […]

5 Strategies for Reinventing Your Career in Uncertain Times

24/11/2020

During times of uncertainty, we tend to hunker down and cling to the status quo. A kind of myopia kicks in, and we focus on our most urgent decisions: how to keep our families safe and healthy, how to keep our bosses happy, or, if we’ve lost a job, how to find a new one […]

When do you need a chief restructuring officer?

23/11/2020

In less than a year, however, the ailing company’s cash situation had stabilized, avoiding the possibility of an abrupt insolvency. The company had found new sources of liquidity, and millions of euros in working capital were freed up thanks to improved short-term cash management. Lenders and other key stakeholders got behind the balance-sheet restructuring. What […]

How to find and maximize digital value in any M&A deal

17/11/2020

The digital revolution is changing the dynamics of M&A transactions. IT used to represent a cost that needed to be managed and controlled as two organizations came together. Today, IT and digital capabilities are often the driving force behind the transaction. But, even when an acquisition centers around a company’s other attractive assets, digital capabilities […]

Navigating Office Politics When There Is No Office

07/11/2020

Across jobs, companies, and industries, people’s success has always depended not just on what they produce or deliver, but also on their ability to navigate the murky waters of office politics. A great deal of scientific research has explored the hidden potent forces underlying the formal and informal power dynamics in any group or organization, […]

Managing a Team with Conflicting Political Views

30/10/2020

Wulf Voss/EyeEm/Getty Images Politics around the world seem to be getting more and more divisive, and it’s impossible for the topic not to enter into our everyday conversations — including those that happen at work. When people on your team have differing views, those conversations can often get tense. As a manager, what should you […]

How to Make Rational Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty

28/10/2020

Johannes Schwaerzler/EyeEm/Getty Images As we’re battling a virus that scientists still don’t fully understand, watching the stock market sink, then soar, then sink again, and facing a contentious election, the future seems completely unpredictable (instead of merely as unpredictable as it has always been). When we feel such heightened uncertainty, our decision-making processes can break […]

To Foster Innovation, Cultivate a Culture of Intellectual Bravery

26/10/2020

Jake Wyman/Getty Images When an organization stops innovating, it is only a matter of time before it fails. But what causes a company to cease coming up with new ideas? Over the last 20 years, I’ve studied many failed organizations and one of the things I consistently see is an almost imperceptible erosion of intellectual […]

6 Ways a Crisis Can Help You Cultivate a Growth Mindset

22/10/2020

Disruptive, stressful experiences are often opportunities for growth. Research has shown that crises can help lift the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra that pervades many organizations, creating new opportunities for people to voice their ideas on how to do things better. For example, when the pandemic forced an insurance company we advise to […]

How to Inoculate Your Team Against Conspiracy Theories

22/10/2020

Illustration by Franziska Barczyk We’ve made our coronavirus coverage free for all readers. To get all of HBR’s content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter. This year, we have had to protect ourselves not only from a deadly virus, but also from some very dangerous ideas. Around the world, conspiracy […]

4 Tips for Effective Virtual Collaboration

14/10/2020

PM Images/Getty Images Team collaboration done right is a powerful force to align a group of individuals to accomplish a common goal in the most effective way possible. But even the best collaborations, filled with smart, capable, and experienced team members, can be a struggle. Done wrong, collaborative projects can feel like a waste of […]

How Businesses Can Recruit and Develop More Young People of Color

12/10/2020

Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images For the college graduates of 2020, Covid-19 has disrupted dreams and shifted plans. But what about the millions of college students who dropped out this year before earning a diploma? Or others who graduated saddled with debt only to be underemployed in their first job? These students, many of whom are people […]

What to Do When You Become Your Friend’s Boss

10/10/2020

Andy Sacks/Getty Images How many hours will you spend with your coworkers over the course of your lifetime? If your job is a typical 9 to 5, that means you’ll spend around eight hours a day, five days a week, for roughly 40 years, with the various people you work with. That equates to almost […]

What to Do When Your Employee is Harassed Online

25/08/2020

Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty Images U.S. law requires employers to create a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. But as offices go virtual, what happens when staff confront a torrent of hate and abuse online? Given that over 44% of Americans say they’ve experienced online harassment, chances are, if you’re an employer, you have people on staff […]

CEO’s guide to COVID-19: Restarting after the crisis

23/07/2020

As governments in Europe announce plans to end the lockdown, a new phase in the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us. It is a time for hope but also for caution. The end of the lockdown will not spell a return to the old “normal”, nor will it be universal. The opening will take different shapes, […]

Stepping into a Leadership Role? Be Ready to Tell Your Story.

20/07/2020

Stepping into a role as a leader — whether as a seasoned executive or a neophyte supervisor — is both challenging and exciting. How you handle this transition can have a huge impact on your career. You need to hit the ground running not only with your bosses and key stakeholders but also with your […]

A VC’s Guide to Investing in Black Founders

24/06/2020

Illustration by Aaron Marin In the midst of a pandemic, I don’t think we ever expected to see one of the most energized social justice movements in the past few decades. Emboldened by the movement, many are engaging in more frank discussions about the role race plays when it comes to funding opportunities for early-stage […]

What Family Businesses Can Learn from the Military

07/06/2020

Michael Davis/EyeEm/Getty Images The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted family businesses in unexpected ways. Many are dealing with anxious investors, a diminishing number of customers, and the challenges that come with managing newly remote teams. For many family-business leaders, managing this crisis has been overwhelming, as they’re grappling with stressed supply chains, plummeting employee morale, and […]

Your Family Business Needs a Deep Bench

05/06/2020

Adrian Samson/Getty Images Whether business is booming or your organization is in the midst of a tough time, a crucial aspect of risk management is ensuring that your organization has bench strength — that employees have the depth of skill and experience to move easily into jobs of increasing responsibility. Is your staff prepared to […]

Onboarding a New Leader — Remotely

26/05/2020

Michael Blann/Getty Images Imagine that you have a new supply-chain leader starting next week. You hired her to do supply-chain transformation before the crisis took hold. But now she is joining remotely and inheriting a remote team, and her short-term, urgent priorities are very different from what they appeared to be before the pandemic. As […]

How the Coronavirus Crisis Is Redefining Jobs

06/05/2020

Martin Barraud/Getty Images The outbreak of Covid-19 has forced organizations into perhaps the most significant social experiment of the future of work in action, with work from home and social distancing policies radically changing the way we work and interact. But the impact on work is far more profound than just changing where people work; […]

How to Recover When Your Career Gets Derailed

29/04/2020

Jakob Helbig/Getty Images Most of us have had minor setbacks at work. But how do you recover from a setback so big that it causes you to lose your job or completely derails your career? An up-to-date LinkedIn profile and your existing professional network will only get you so far. The changes you need to […]

Virtual Meetings Don’t Have to Be a Bore

02/04/2020

HBR Staff/Tim Robberts/Getty Images Those of us who present, facilitate, and teach for a living understand the importance of developing a personal connection with an audience. It’s critical to be and feel natural; to make people laugh, feel at ease, and fully engage — and perhaps even lose themselves — in the content you’re delivering. […]

How to Get People to Actually Participate in Virtual Meetings

31/03/2020

These days it’s hard to get people to pay attention in any meeting, but when people aren’t in the same room, it can be especially difficult. And it’s particularly annoying when you make a nine-minute argument, pause for an expected reaction, and get: “I’m not sure I followed you” which might as well mean: “I […]

Why Leaders Need Meditation Now More Than Ever

29/03/2020

A global pandemic is in full effect. Risks of infection are on the rise, stock markets are tumbling, the economy is on the verge of a global recession, and every business is facing uncertainty. Chances are high that you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and afraid. That’s normal. The survival part of our brain (mainly the amygdala) […]

A Guide for Working (From Home) Parents

28/03/2020

Here are three steps to bring your old plan into your new normal: 1. Maintain routines. The first step is to keep the structure of the day the same as it has typically been. Beyond the benefits of familiarity, maintaining a regular schedule will give you firm guideposts for building your work and childcare schedules. For […]

A Guide to Managing Your (Newly) Remote Workers

23/03/2020

Ada Yakota/Getty Images In response to the uncertainties presented by Covid-19, many companies and universities have asked their employees to work remotely. While close to a quarter of the U.S. workforce already works from home at least part of the time, the new policies leave many employees — and their managers — working out of […]

Communicating Through the Coronavirus Crisis

23/03/2020

Nicholas Rigg/Getty Images In fast-moving and uncertain situations, many leaders face questions they may not even have answers to. You need to communicate early and often with your key constituencies throughout a crisis. Even if you’re still trying to understand the extent of the problem, be honest and open to maintain credibility. Approach the situation […]

Are You Ready to Serve on a Board?

23/02/2020

HBR Staff/Bulgac/Getty Images Corporate boards are under increasing pressure to diversify their ranks – adding more women and minorities, as well as executives with different cultural and functional backgrounds – to better represent the people their organizations employ and serve. At the same time, the bar for “board readiness” has never been higher: directors are […]

Is That Stretch Job Right for You?

16/02/2020

Fuse/Getty Images During the course of our careers, there are job opportunities that arise — either internally and externally — that seem appealing but may be a stretch, taking us beyond our current level of knowledge, skills, or experience. Research from Hewlett Packard shows that women tend not to apply for jobs unless they are […]

What Happens When Your Career Becomes Your Whole Identity

27/01/2020

Caspar Benson/Getty Images Dan*, a partner at a major Boston law firm, was due at the office, but instead, he was curled on his bathroom floor, unshaven and in his pajamas, crying into a towel. It began slowly, in a meeting with a particularly pushy client, when a thought bubbled up in his mind: “Why […]

5 ways to swim, not sink, as part of a ‘liquid workforce’ | World Economic Forum

12/12/2019

Companies are going to be demanding different competencies, and we need to be ready to meet this demand. I visualize the idea of the liquid workforce as an immense moving ocean. One day, we may have a great job and be enjoying a warm tropical area. However, strong currents may move us quickly from being […]

Don’t Be Afraid to Disagree in a Job Interview

03/12/2019

GlobalP/Getty Images When you’re interviewing for a job, you typically have one primary goal: impress the interviewer enough to get an offer. Often, we think that we need to be agreeable to succeed, which can lead to a lot of nodding on both sides — even if you don’t necessarily believe in what the person […]