Managing people

A study reveals the risks of helping your employees deal with personal problems.

Tips for staying calm through a stressful stretch.

Employees learn how to run meetings, have conversations, and set goals.

by Lauren Keller Johnson

Joe Ryan turned a small-town cosmetics company into a national powerhouse, making employees happy and shareholders rich in the process. Does it really matter that he cheats on his wife?

When companies cause emotional pain through nasty bosses, layoffs, and change, a certain breed of “healing” manager steps in to keep the gears moving. They are toxic handlers—unsung corporate heroes who save the day, but often pay a high price.

Why some teams are more successful at meeting deadlines, hitting targets, and growing revenues.

U.S. unemployment numbers came in just before Labor Day, and they are grim: 9.7 percent and rising. Small comfort that they were expected to be worse....

Giving feedback, particularly constructive feedback, is often a stressful task. As counterintuitive as it may seem, giving feedback to a top performer can be even tougher. Top performers may not have obvious development needs and in identifying those needs, you can sometimes feel like you’re being nitpicky or over-demanding. In addition, top performers may not […]

Support them while setting boundaries.

Most people use only a few of these tactics. The most persuasive use them all.

If you are a manager responsible for the fate of a superstar performer whom no one on your team can stand, look at what the Boston Red Sox did and smile. The Red Sox just traded Manny Ramirez — arguably the best player on their team, one of the best of his era – because […]

A bit of banter can make a big difference.

Asking an employee to write a self-appraisal using the company’s appraisal form is a common performance management practice. It’s a deceptively attractive technique. An employee’s self-appraisal and rating should give the manager valuable data on the quality of an individual’s performance. It previews what to expect when the two sit down to discuss the manager’s […]

Research-backed ways to increase employees' enjoyment of work by reducing time spent on unpleasant tasks.

A close study of the real thing — seafarers’ insurrections during the Age of Discovery — might help you decide.

When faced with a major investment decision, how many organizations would bet their success on a gut feeling? How many organizations would rely mainly on intuition when taking a new product to market? Not many. Yet, when it comes to the workforce — one of a company’s most expensive and valuable assets — too many […]

Temple Grandin on how to harness different kinds of thinking for creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.

“Functional fixedness” is the hobgoblin of uncreative minds.

by Lauren Keller Johnson

Maestro pizza opened its first store in 2013 after its founder, Khalid Al Omran, recognized an opportunity in Saudi Arabia to offer high quality pizza...

Started by two brothers, WCC and ARK are successful independent IT staff augmentation companies that navigated the great recession skillfully and later...

To remain competitive, Sallie Krawcheck and Lisa Shalett, Sanford C. Bernstein's director of research and associate director of research, respectively...

Collaborator. Communicator. Connector. Coach. As a mid-level manager, you're being tasked with more than ever before. You're expected to lead innovation,...

The future is here. How is your organization responding? Amid the turbulence of a global pandemic, worldwide social justice movements, and accelerated...

Designed to help executives identify patterns in their approaches to developing networks of relationships. A "network" refers to the set of relationships...

Explores the results of Jody Leleck's efforts to turn around underperforming Broad Acres Middle School.

...

It is very difficult to be an effective leader if you don't know who you are and what you want. People in leadership positions are expected to clarify...

Supplements the (A) case.

On December 30, 2013, an account manager in the sales department of UIT India (UIT) filed a complaint with the company's Ethics & Compliance Cell (ECC)....

What can you, as a manager, do to attract top talent and keep your company's high-performing employees? In Retaining Employees, you'll learn ways to stay...

This 16-volume, specially priced boxed set makes a perfect gift for aspiring leaders looking for trusted advice on such diverse topics as data analytics,...

Jane Kravitz (Caucasian female), strategic product manager, and Lyndon Brooks (African American male), a member of her staff at Jensen Shoes, a successful...

This case examines Boston Chicken's franchise strategy for growing its innovative restaurant business, and the associated accounting reporting issues...

You want the most important ideas for executives all in one place. Now you can have them--in a set of HBR's 10 Must Reads, available as an 8-volume paperback...

Everyone leads projects. Learn how to manage them more effectively. If you read nothing else on leading projects large and small, read these 10 articles....

Sales leadership essentials for an era of rapidly advancing digital technology. Managing an effective sales organization is key to revenue generation,...

The OKR framework is a popular goal-setting and strategy execution tool that uses goal setting through "Objectives" and measuring performance using "Key...

The case describes the dilemma of a marketing manager, Thomas Green, who, after being rapidly promoted, is harshly criticized by his boss, Frank Davis....

A study reveals the risks of helping your employees deal with personal problems.

Tips for staying calm through a stressful stretch.

Employees learn how to run meetings, have conversations, and set goals.

by Lauren Keller Johnson

Joe Ryan turned a small-town cosmetics company into a national powerhouse, making employees happy and shareholders rich in the process. Does it really matter that he cheats on his wife?

When companies cause emotional pain through nasty bosses, layoffs, and change, a certain breed of “healing” manager steps in to keep the gears moving. They are toxic handlers—unsung corporate heroes who save the day, but often pay a high price.

Why some teams are more successful at meeting deadlines, hitting targets, and growing revenues.

U.S. unemployment numbers came in just before Labor Day, and they are grim: 9.7 percent and rising. Small comfort that they were expected to be worse....

Giving feedback, particularly constructive feedback, is often a stressful task. As counterintuitive as it may seem, giving feedback to a top performer can be even tougher. Top performers may not have obvious development needs and in identifying those needs, you can sometimes feel like you’re being nitpicky or over-demanding. In addition, top performers may not […]

Support them while setting boundaries.