HBR On Leadership

Mar 19 2025 102 ep. 27 mins 816
HBR On Leadership Podcast artwork

Leadership isn’t a trait, it’s a set of skills.

Whether you’re managing up or motivating a team, HBR On Leadership is your destination for insights and inspiration from the world’s top leadership practitioners and experts.

Every Wednesday, the editors at the Harvard Business Review hand-picked conversations and case studies with global business leaders, management experts, academics, from across HBR to unlock the best in those around you.

  Business  Education
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


How to Earn Respect as a First-Time Manager

Mar 19 2025 38 mins  
Getting taken seriously as a new manager is challenging for anyone. You can go from being friends with your peers to suddenly being their boss. It’s easy to make missteps, like playing the part too much—acting the way you think a manager is supposed to act. On the other hand, you may feel you have nothing to offer your direct reports, some of whom may have more experience than

Helena Rubinstein: A Pioneer of the Modern Beauty Industry

Mar 11 2025 23 mins  
In the early 20th century, Helena Rubinstein defied gender, class, and cultural expectations to become one of the first pioneers of the modern beauty industry. Today, her namesake luxury cosmetics brand is worth more than one billion dollars. Harvard Business School professor Geoff Jones wrote a case study about the visionary leader. He explored her journey—and the lasting impact

How CEOs Make or Break Sales

Mar 05 2025 26 mins  
A CEO's involvement in B2B sales deals, while often well-intentioned, can sometimes backfire. INSEAD marketing professor Christoph Senn has spent years studying the role top leaders play in B2B relationships. In this episode, he shares the five archetypes of CEO behavior when it comes to sales, which ones are the most effective in closing a deal, and where they fall short. You’l

When Hiring, Emphasize Skills Over Degrees

Feb 26 2025 31 mins  
The best leaders know that a person’s skillset and their willingness to learn are more important than the degree they have. Ginni Rometty, former Chairman and CEO of IBM, understands this deeply. She spearheaded a company-wide shift to skills-based hiring and development during her tenure. In this episode, Rometty’shares how her mother’s commitment to education helped her fa

How to Develop Your Executive Presence

Feb 19 2025 44 mins  
If you’re a leader or aspire to be one, you’ve probably thought about how you project confidence and competence—or, what some call your executive presence. It’s as much a vibe you give off as it is a skill you can develop. And it’s important to exhibit if you want to assure others you’re ready to lead.    Megan Bock, the COO of an insurance technology company, has m

How CEO Ed Bastian Is Transforming DEI at Delta Air Lines

Feb 12 2025 30 mins  
In December 2020, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were deciding whether or not to commit to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans into stable, well-paid jobs over the next decade, as part of the OneTen coalition. But if Delta joined, Bastian faced a key challenge: how could he make the airline truly inclusive and create syste

How to Give Your Team the Feedback They Actually Need

Feb 05 2025 23 mins  
How does critical feedback affect your team’s success? Researchers Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall argue that many managers invest too much energy in correcting weaknesses. Instead, they encourage leaders to focus on developing employees’ strengths.Buckingham and Goodall are the authors of the book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World an

How to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure

Jan 29 2025 28 mins  
Many people believe that leaders instinctively make the best decisions based on past experience, almost like muscle memory. But Carol Kauffman, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Institute of Coaching, challenges this view. She explains why falling back on automatic behaviors can lead to poor decisions, especially when the stakes are high. In this

How to Get Leadership Succession Right

Jan 22 2025 31 mins  
When Jason Buechel became CEO of Whole Foods in 2022, he faced the challenge of succeeding cofounder John Mackey, who led the company for over 40 years. This leadership transition was not only a personal challenge for Buechel but also a significant shift for the entire organization. In this episode, Buechel tells Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius how he addressed

How to Bridge Generational Gaps on Your Team

Jan 15 2025 34 mins  
Are you struggling to manage people who are older than you? Lindsey Pollak explains that cross-generational dynamics in the workplace are becoming increasingly complex, driven by rapid technological advancements and longer career spans. As a workplace expert and author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, Pollak addresses listener questions abou