Featured Faculty
Leadership Careers Dec 23, 2020
Podcast: To Lead Through a Crisis, You Need the “Straight, Unvarnished Truth”
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: Carbon’s Ellen Kullman, former CEO of DuPont, on having the right people around to hold up a mirror.
0:00
/
21:34 
Ellen Kullman had been CEO of the 3-D printing startup Carbon for just three months when COVID-19 hit the U.S. this past spring. Like most of us, she knew the virus would disrupt businesses and lives, but had no idea to what extent.
But although this pandemic is obviously unique, Kullman is no stranger to leading a company through crisis. Before becoming the CEO of the California-based company, she spent 27 years with chemical giant Dupont, and was ultimately appointed chairman and CEO in 2009—becoming the first woman to lead the more than 200-year-old company.
Throughout her seven-year tenure as CEO of Dupont, Kullman led through a number of challenges, including most dramatically a proxy fight with an activist investor—a fight she won.
Earlier this year, Kullman—a Kellogg School alumna—spoke with Kellogg professor Jörg Spenkuch as part of a leadership and crisis management speaker series.
During this conversation, you’ll hear Kullman talk openly about her experiences leading a company through crisis. She also offers advice to aspiring leaders based on her years climbing the career ladder at DuPont. But we’ll begin this conversation with Kullman discussing her current role at Carbon, and what happened in March when coronavirus cases began to rise.
Note: The Insightful Leader is produced for the ear and not meant to be read as a transcript. We encourage you to listen to the audio version above. However, a transcript of this episode is available here.
Most Popular This Week
-
What Went Wrong at Silicon Valley Bank?And how can it be avoided next time? A new analysis sheds light on vulnerabilities within the U.S. banking industry.
-
How Are Black–White Biracial People Perceived in Terms of Race?Understanding the answer—and why black and white Americans may percieve biracial people differently—is increasingly important in a multiracial society.
-
Understanding the Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Real EstateWork-from-home has stuck around. What does this mean for residential and commercial real-estate markets?
-
What Went Wrong at AIG?Unpacking the insurance giant's collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.
-
Will AI Eventually Replace Doctors?Maybe not entirely. But the doctor–patient relationship is likely to change dramatically.
-
Which Form of Government Is Best?Democracies may not outlast dictatorships, but they adapt better.
-
Podcast: "It's Hard to Regulate U.S. Banks!"Silicon Valley Bank spectacularly collapsed—and a new analysis suggests that its precarious situation is not as much of an outlier as we’d hope. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we learn what went wrong and what should happen next.
-
What Happens to Worker Productivity after a Minimum Wage Increase?A pay raise boosts productivity for some—but the impact on the bottom line is more complicated.
-
Why Do Some People Succeed after Failing, While Others Continue to Flounder?A new study dispels some of the mystery behind success after failure.
-
Marketers, Don’t Be Too Hasty to Act on DataDon’t like the trends you’re seeing? It’s tempting to take immediate action. Instead, consider a hypothesis-driven approach to solving your problems.
-
For Students with Disabilities, Discrimination Starts Before They Even Enter SchoolPublic-school principals are less welcoming to prospective families with disabled children—particularly when they’re Black.
-
Why Well-Meaning NGOs Sometimes Do More Harm than GoodStudies of aid groups in Ghana and Uganda show why it’s so important to coordinate with local governments and institutions.
-
Leaders, Don’t Be Afraid to Admit Your FlawsWe prefer to work for people who can make themselves vulnerable, a new study finds. But there are limits.
-
How Has Marketing Changed over the Past Half-Century?Phil Kotler’s groundbreaking textbook came out 55 years ago. Sixteen editions later, he and coauthor Alexander Chernev discuss how big data, social media, and purpose-driven branding are moving the field forward.
-
How Peer Pressure Can Lead Teens to Underachieve—Even in Schools Where It’s “Cool to Be Smart”New research offers lessons for administrators hoping to improve student performance.
-
Immigrants to the U.S. Create More Jobs than They TakeA new study finds that immigrants are far more likely to found companies—both large and small—than native-born Americans.
-
How Much Do Campaign Ads Matter?Tone is key, according to new research, which found that a change in TV ad strategy could have altered the results of the 2000 presidential election.
-
Take 5: How Fear Influences Our DecisionsOur anxieties about the future can have surprising implications for our health, our family lives, and our careers.
-
Executive Presence Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All. Here’s How to Develop Yours.A professor and executive coach unpacks this seemingly elusive trait.
-
How Self-Reflection Can Make You a Better LeaderSetting aside 15 minutes a day can help you prioritize, prepare, and build a stronger team
Add Insight to your inbox.
