Defining Moments

Leadership skills for volatile times include geopolitical awareness, political influence, and stress control, says IMD’s Jennifer Jordan.

As workforces age, organizations must confront a critical question: how will extended lifespans reshape leadership, organizational strategy, and the very concept of a career? Anna Erat identifies four focus areas to sustain performance, preserve b...

In September 2024, Starbucks' then-CEO was abruptly fired after 17 months in the role; the decision followed three quarterly drops in consumer traffic and declining operating revenues. The board then turned to Brian Niccol, a veteran fast-food company executive. Niccol was deemed highly qualified due to his turnaround of two fast-food chains, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell. Starbucks was struggling in its two largest markets, the United States and China, which together accounted for 83% of the company's global $36.2 billion in sales. In both markets, customer orders and same-store sales had declined. Niccol's first year was a difficult one, raising questions about his strategy and tactics. The disappointed investors were selling out...

Ecosystem competition is reshaping strategy as firms shift from linear advantage to value networks. Mark Greeven explains how leaders must rethink growth and governance.

Promotion decisions are among the most powerful cultural signals that leaders send. They reveal what an organization truly values, in terms of results but also in how those results are achieved. The Promotion Dilemma explores the tension that managers face when a high-performing employee delivers exceptional commercial outcomes while simultaneously undermining collaboration, trust and shared accountability. Set in Spectra, a global manufacturer of precision industrial components undergoing a strategic transformation, the case follows Chief Commercial Officer Chris Steele as (s)he considers whether to promote Alex Forge, a charismatic regional commercial manager widely regarded as a "rainmaker." Alex has secured major contracts, built strong customer relationships, demonstrated remarkable commercial instinct and fostered credibility with clients. Yet inside Spectra, Alex's behavior is often blunt, impatient and dismissive. The regional manager tends to bypass processes, dominate discussions and challenge colleagues publicly; the result is strained relationships across functions and lower engagement within Alex's own team. The timing of the decision raises the stakes. Spectra is implementing it’s One Spectra transformation, an initiative aiming to strengthen cross-functional collaboration, shared accountability and psychological safety in response to rising competitive pressure. Though promoting Alex would retain a critical commercial talent and emphasize the importance of results, the move risks undermining the cultural shift leadership is trying to build. Not promoting Alex could reinforce the organization's commitment to collaborative leadership but may risk losing a star performer to competitors. The Promotion Dilemma invites discussion about the implicit messages embedded in promotion decisions and the challenges and trade-offs that leaders face when balancing performance and evaluating leadership potential while shaping culture and building long-term organizational health.

AI is reshaping leadership and work. Ensuring women help design and govern it will determine whether the technology advances equity or deepens inequality.

AI is shrinking entry-level roles, risking future leadership pipelines. Erik Brynjolfsson urges employers to preserve talent by investing in strategic young hires.

Non-linear career paths that deviate from the functional norm in some way can produce leaders who deliver more impact.

How do you rebuild trust in a 160-year-old bank? Société Générale CEO Slawomir Krupa on discipline, fintech disruption, and tough turnaround decisions.

This technical note introduces a framework for understanding why effective leaders sometimes act in ways that undermine their own goals. Moving beyond traditional style models that treat leaders as relatively consistent, the note presents 'leadership modes' – coherent states defined by configurations of Affects, Behaviors, Cognitions and Desires (ABCD). Drawing on Schema Therapy, the framework identifies eight modes in three categories: three high-performance modes (Visionary, Driver and Connector) representing optimal functioning oriented toward possibility, action and people; four reactive modes (Controller, Defender, Avoider and Pleaser) that activate as automatic self-protective responses to perceived threats; and a Grounded Leader mode that enables self-observation and deliberate choice. The note details each mode's internal logic, explains how modes interact and cascade under pressure and outlines a three-stage development path – recognizing and labeling modes, proactively anticipating reactive episodes, and responding and recovering afterward. Integrating Susan David's emotional agility framework, it provides practical strategies for reducing the grip of reactive patterns and gaining consistent access to high-performance states. Designed for executive education and leadership development, the note equips leaders with a diagnostic lens for understanding their functioning and the capacity to choose how to lead rather than lead reactively.