Dow Inc: When your new board chair is your old boss
Explore how Dow Inc's leadership transition highlights the importance of clear communication and boundary setting when the old boss becomes the new CEO....
Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of The First 90 Days, Master Your Next Move, Predictable Surprises, and 12 other books on leadership and negotiation. His book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, explores how executives can learn to think strategically and lead their organizations into the future. A Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer and recognized expert in his field, his work features in HBR Guides and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on leadership, teams, strategic initiatives, and new managers. Over the past 20 years, he has used his First 90 Days® methodology to help leaders make successful transitions, both in his teaching at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School, where he gained his PhD in decision sciences, as well as through his private consultancy practice Genesis Advisers. At IMD, he directs the First 90 Days open program for leaders taking on challenging new roles and co-directs the Transition to Business Leadership (TBL) executive program for future enterprise leaders, as well as the Program for Executive Development.
14 hours ago • by Michael Watkins in Talent • 8 min read
Explore how Dow Inc's leadership transition highlights the importance of clear communication and boundary setting when the old boss becomes the new CEO....
July 8, 2026 • by Chloé Christopoulos, Michael Watkins in Leadership • 9 min read
Leadership programs can be powerful catalysts for self-awareness. But insight alone rarely changes deeply ingrained behaviors. Micro-experiments help leaders translate learning into lasting change by testing new approaches in real situations....
May 1, 2026 • by Michael Watkins in Leadership • 8 min read
From solving the wrong problem to getting the right people in the room, here are the patterns executive coaches spot and the practical fixes that work. ...
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