Review
Want to be a great leader? Be your own case study
‘Anyone who’s been to business school knows case studies are classic teaching tools for sharpening analytical skills. In my classroom, however, there’s only one case study: you. Whether it’s the loss of a parent, a ruthless boss who leaves you to sink or swim, or a sibling who never lets up, our past experiences shape how we show up at work. While past traumas often get the spotlight, a cushy upbringing can be just as defining – those who faced little hardship growing up often struggle most with setbacks. Most people bury these experiences and don’t learn from them. This repression can manifest in impatience, angry outbursts, or an inability to trust your team. Yet trust is a crucial foundation of high-performance leadership: 93% of business executives say building and maintaining trust improves the bottom line, according to PWC’s 2024 Trust Survey.
To avoid falling foul of these emotional triggers and the unhelpful leadership behaviors they foster, you must understand how your past shaped you.’ - said George Kohlrieser, Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD and Director of the High Performance Leadership program.
https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/leadership/want-to-be-a-great-leader-be-your-own-case-study/
How leaders can help their teams embrace AI’s potential
In the race to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), some leaders are caught between the thrill of innovation and the dread of unforeseen consequences. This anxiety, often born from misunderstandings and worst-case scenarios, can create a subtle but powerful barrier to AI integration in the workplace. When leadership approaches AI with trepidation, it not only stifles progress but can also set a tone of fear that ripples through entire teams.
Leaders should integrate an accessible, clearly communicated means of staying up to date with AI-produced changes and honing required skills. These pathways may include training segments on AI best practices, educational literature, office-wide resources on key AI considerations, and hands-on initiatives through which workers can gain practical AI experience. Along the way, transparency and encouragement will bolster these processes.
For AI to take root successfully, leaders must replace dread with clarity and empowerment. AI’s true potential emerges when people feel informed, equipped, and valued in the evolving landscape, not sidelined by it. Leaders who recognize this can turn the human-AI workforce into a true partnership rather than a battleground.
5 Pandemic-Era Lessons on Leading Through Drastic Change
As we move further into the post-Covid era, the distinction between normal operations and crisis management continues to blur. Tomorrow’s most successful leaders will be those who can maintain organizational stability while simultaneously driving innovation and change. These leadership imperatives aren’t temporary adaptations—they represent a fundamental shift in what effective leadership means in the modern world. Successful leaders today must: 1) proactively engage with uncertainty; 2) balance employee and company needs; 3) test new ideas quickly; 4) make smart decisions with limited information; and 5) communicate to build trust and confidence. The post-pandemic era requires leaders to be agile, innovative, and empathetic, ensuring organizational stability amidst constant change.
https://hbr.org/2025/03/5-pandemic-era-lessons-on-leading-through-drastic-change