Brian Stauffer/theispot.com In 1963, as the U.S. civil rights movement reached a new peak, most U.S. companies stayed quiet. That changed after events in Birmingham, Alabama. Images of peaceful demonstrators, including children, being attacked by police dogs and high-powered fire hoses shocked the country. Economic boycotts of segregated businesses in and near Birmingham followed. Under…
If your long-term business outlook doesn’t account for geopolitical trends, it might need amending. “We’ve been really lucky in being able to focus on building our businesses and designing our economic strategies mostly without thinking about geopolitics. That’s just not true anymore,” says Nancy Qian, a professor of managerial economics and decision sciences at Kellogg…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images I’ve just stepped into a new leadership role and was advised to embark on a “listening tour.” I’ve gone out and spent time with different units and functions, but I’m not sure it’s helping. Conversations feel surface-level, and I’m not learning what I need to lead effectively. What am…
Why market selection and holistic asset allocation may matter more than stock picking. Many clients believe that the main value of professional wealth management lies in picking the right stocks. They expect advisers and portfolio managers to identify superior companies and generate long-term outperformance through careful selection. My experience in delegated portfolio management suggests that,…
Otto Steininger/Ikon Images In 2015, Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz merged in a $45 billion deal. Backed by Warren Buffett and 3G Capital, Kraft Heinz was poised to become a global food powerhouse. But just over a decade later, that promise has soured. Iconic brands have stagnated, strategic missteps have piled up, and the share…
Davide Bonazzi The Research The Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School, led by professor Linda A. Hill, has been exploring essential leadership mindsets, behaviors, and competencies for leading in the digital era. The authors’ qualitative and quantitative research provides valuable insights into the evolving nature of leadership in an increasingly digital era. The same patterns…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images In the investment world, taking risks during volatile periods can result in a windfall. During his 60 years at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett delivered compounded annual returns of nearly 20% — double what the S&P 500 achieved — guided by the rule “Be fearful when others…
Patrick George/Ikon Images In conversations with executives, I’ve noticed a common pattern: Many are aware of agentic AI coding assistants like Claude Code but assume that these tools are relevant only to software developers. This assumption, while understandable, is rapidly being proved wrong. It turns out that the features that make AI coding tools useful…
Dean Rohrer/theispot.com Across industries, companies are investing heavily in radical innovations, such as new software layers for traditional hardware, AI-powered industrial tools, and smart services that promise to transform how customers create value. Yet, when these offerings reach the market, sales pipelines often stall. Salesforce, for example, struggled with the early commercialization of a radical…
Stephan Schmitz/theispot.com The Research The authors studied 13 multinational companies with revenues of $10 billion to $150 billion that are based in the U.S., Germany, Mexico, or the Netherlands. The companies represent a range of sectors, including agricultural machinery, cosmetics, semiconductors, computing hardware, auto parts, auto assembly, power generation, and health care delivery. Through qualitative…