Midea: The digital transformation of a home appliances giant

Assortment optimization presents a complex challenge for retailers, as it depends on numerous decision factors. Changes in assortment can result in demand redistribution with multi-layered consequences. This complexity is even more pronounced for ...

Ambidextrous leadership thrives on non-linear careers. Diverse experiences fuel innovation, adaptability, and sustainable performance.

Is your team ready for tough times? Ask these 7 critical questions to assess resilience, redefine success, and lead through uncertainty with purpose.

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is unprecedented. Looking ahead at the job markets of 2030 and beyond, we can forecast the types of jobs and skills that may get automated. Alternatively, we can also see which ne...

Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous kerosene lamps and has an optimized design (9 components, water-bottle stands). The candles killer solar lamp addresses the critical need for affordable, safe and sustainable lighting for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a huge market that multinationals struggle to reach. By achieving both low cost and differentiation, SPS created a blue ocean market. The company has made remarkable progress in its mission to provide solar lighting to underserved communities: by 2023, it illuminated over 55 million people across 7.8 million households in 66 countries. Beyond social impact, SPS achieved environmental sustainability at scale, reducing cumulative carbon emissions by 6.7 million tons, the equivalent of planting 368 million evergreen trees. Candles Killer's success led SPS to expand its product line into a solar home system for phone charging and multi-bulb lighting. SPS also introduced Solar Media, a platform with pre-loaded content (medical tips, farming methods, education) to share vital knowledge in remote regions.

How CR Beer, the brewer of Snow beer and the exclusive Chinese partner of Heineken, redefined its legacy by shifting from mass‑market volume to premium innovation and Baijiu diversification under the bold leadership of CEO Hou Xiaohai.

Apple’s ‘Evil Steve’ test sets the standard for digital persuasion ethics in today’s AI and data-driven world.

This note provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and developing the core interpersonal processes essential for effective leadership. It identifies and explores seven key processes: Communication, Visioning, Alliance Building, Persuasion, Exercising Power, Negotiation and Conflict Management. Each process is examined in detail, along with its supporting skills and practical applications. The note emphasizes how these processes interconnect and build upon each other to create a robust leadership framework. Communication establishes a foundation of trust and clarity, which enables visioning to align teams toward common goals. Alliance building creates strategic partnerships that support the vision, while persuasion deepens these alliances. Power leverages these relationships to direct resources and maintain momentum, negotiation harmonizes diverse interests, and conflict management ensures disagreements don't disrupt progress. The note also identifies five core supporting capabilities that enable effective engagement in these processes: Mindful Presence, Emotional Intelligence, Communication Mastery, Strategic Thinking and Adaptability. These capabilities form a progressive framework that allows leaders to navigate complex situations, connect meaningfully with others and make informed strategic decisions. Comprehensive and practical, this note serves as both a theoretical framework and an actionable toolkit for leaders seeking to enhance their interpersonal effectiveness. It includes an extensive reading list organized by process, providing resources for deeper exploration of each area.

This note presents a comprehensive framework for improving decision-making capabilities in high-pressure, high-stakes environments. It introduces six evidence-based strategies that help leaders maintain clarity, focus and effectiveness when facing complex decisions under stress. The note explores each strategy in detail: managing emotional responses, strengthening situational awareness, training for cognitive agility, using structured decision-making models, enhancing decision speed and practicing under pressure. For each strategy, it provides specific tools and practical applications, illustrated through the case study of AcuWave, a mid-sized consumer electronics firm navigating challenging product launch decisions. Key tools examined include emotional self-regulation techniques, the OODA loop for situational awareness, pre-mortem analysis for cognitive agility, weighted decision matrices for structured decision-making, the 40-70 rule for balancing speed and accuracy, and crisis simulations for practical application. The note emphasizes that effective decision making under pressure integrates emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and structured processes. This practical guide serves as a valuable resource for leaders seeking to develop more robust decision-making capabilities in fast-paced business environments. By implementing these strategies, leaders can improve their ability to assess high-stakes situations quickly, make sound judgments with confidence, and maintain team effectiveness even under volatile and uncertain conditions.

Raiffeisen Bank International's Sabine Abfalter explores how finance leaders can drive banking digital transformation with bold vision as architects of change.