Corporate venturing with Hilti

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 ...

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.

Hybrid work is here to stay. Prof. Manju Ahuja explores why flexibility, tech, and talent trends mean the future of work won’t return to the pre-pandemic norm.

Many regional developers have tried and failed to emulate Silicon Valley’s VC-driven model for innovation. Detroit, the birthplace of Ford, is following an alternative route – with promising results.

CFOs must drive a financially disciplined way to manage environmental and climate risk amid growing push back against sustainability efforts.

How a private equity-backed corporate carve-out created a successful, sustainable consulting powerhouse by Benoit Leleux

By managing ESG-heavy assets separately, companies can drive progress in their sustainable business units while addressing the sustainability challenges of traditional assets. Here are four effective strategies to achieve your goals.

Women’s realities are often overlooked, but lifepreneurs—entrepreneurs innovating from experience—are turning struggles into profit and systemic change.

This Technical Note explores the significant transition that leaders face when moving from functional to enterprise-level leadership roles. It introduces the "Seven Seismic Shifts" framework, which identifies the fundamental changes in mindset and responsibility required for success at the enterprise level. The note examines each shift in detail: from specialist to generalist, analyst to integrator, tactician to strategist, bricklayer to architect, problem-solver to agenda-setter, warrior to diplomat, and supporting cast to lead role. Using the case example of Johannes Vandervliet, a leader transitioning to general manager at BSC Chemicals, the note illustrates the practical challenges of navigating these shifts and balancing existing skills with new leadership demands. Beyond identifying these transitions, the note provides a comprehensive approach for organizations to assess and develop enterprise leadership talent. This includes rigorous assessment methods, structured developmental experiences, targeted conceptual learning, executive coaching, mentoring and sponsorship programs, and ongoing evaluation systems. The note emphasizes that effective enterprise leadership development requires deliberate effort and organizational support, not just time and experience. It offers valuable insights for both aspiring enterprise leaders seeking to understand their development needs and organizations looking to build robust leadership pipelines to navigate increasingly complex business environments.