Your Course of Study
Leadership Best Practices comprises a series of carefully selected modules featuring landmark research on strategic leadership that builds a competitive advantage. Topics include:
Are You a Good Boss—Or a Great One?
Leadership has always been hard and is getting harder. Faced with conflicting demands from above and below, unpredictable developments, and office politics; managers can often become exhausted and discouraged. Indeed, developing into an effective manager is a seemingly endless, frequently arduous journey. In a recent book titled Being the Boss, HBS professor Linda A. Hill and coauthor Kent Lineback explain that managers can complete this journey with the right approach. During this session, Hill will discuss three imperatives—manage yourself, your network, and your team—that can provide both first-time and seasoned managers with the tools they need to conquer the challenges of leadership.
Overcoming Anxiety in the Workplace
Those who are afraid to fail rarely take chances and are therefore unable to explore, learn, and grow. In today’s uncertain economic environment, this fear grips even the best and the brightest, who too often steer clear of new challenges that may increase their likelihood of making mistakes. However, in his recent book titled Flying Without a Net, HBS professor Thomas J. DeLong asserts that vulnerability does not have to result in fear and weakness. During this session, he will examine the roots of anxiety among high achievers, destructive behaviors adopted to relieve anxiety, and productive behaviors that are necessary to gain strength from vulnerability.
Disconnecting in a 24/7 World
Success in professional services requires being connected, on call, and ready to work at all times. Or does it? This is the question HBS professor Leslie A. Perlow explored as she studied one of the world's leading consulting firms. Through a series of experiments, which are chronicled in her forthcoming book titled Sleeping with Your Blackberry, Perlow and her research team analyzed the impact of simultaneously making personal time off a team responsibility, while also creating space for structured dialogue about work and personal issues. In this session, she will describe the potential to change organization culture in ways that benefit both individuals' personal lives and the work process itself.
The Ownership Quotient: Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work for Unbeatable Competitive Advantage
W. Earl Sasser, Baker Foundation Professor and author of numerous books and Harvard Business Review articles, including "Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work," explores how world-class companies are building winning strategies on their consistent ability to delight customers, employees, and shareholders. He will discuss the advantages of building ownership into your business strategy, increasing your customer ownership quotient (OQ) by putting customers to work, and shaping an ownership culture among your employees.
Leading Large Scale Change
In his recent work, A Sense of Urgency, HBS Professor Emeritus and best-selling author John P. Kotter discusses what a true sense of urgency is in an organization, why it is becoming an exceptionally important asset, and how you can create and sustain it within your organization. In his latest book, Buy-in: Saving Your Good Ideas from Getting Shot Down, he talks about one of the most challenging aspects of leading change—getting buy-in to the change vision and overcome resistance to new ideas. During this session, Kotter will walk through his fundamental eight-step framework for successful organizational transformation. He will also provide insight into how successful companies lead change and some of the potential hazards on the path to remarkable results.
Is Shared Value Lasting Value?
Several researchers have recently suggested that organizations must pursue not just value, but "shared value"—through a business model that integrates economic and social goals. During this session, HBS Professor Rebecca Henderson will discuss whether and how a focus on shared value can foster innovation, competitive advantage, and sustained growth.
International Strategy: Developing a Global Mindset
Multinational companies that expand into emerging markets often find that they must reorient their strategic thinking, balancing what made them successful in their home market and what "works" in other parts of the world. In this session, HBS Professor Felix Oberholzer-Gee examines the challenges facing globalizing businesses and discusses what managers can do to foster a global mindset in their organizations.
"From the program content and cases to the lectures and networking, this program exceeded my expectations. The value of the experience extends far beyond the time spent in the classroom. I came back with many new ideas on leadership and change and other topics, which I'll be sharing with the partners in my company."
Panos Manolopoulos [Vice Chairman – Regions, Managing Partner – UAE], Stanton Chase International, United Arab Emirates