The Insightful Leader
A Weekly Newsletter
Explore our archives
I (Don’t) Feel Your Pain
Sent to subscribers on April 13, 2022
Today we’ll be discussing one of the most counterintuitive findings I’ve ever read about how to be an empathic leader—one that still makes me stop and think about my own management style, many years later.
And it comes down to this: if we’ve personally endured a hardship, we are actually less... more
A Less Risky Path to Entrepreneurship
Sent to subscribers on April 6, 2022
Have you ever dreamt of running your own company? If so, you’ve likely pictured yourself at the helm of a scrappy startup that turns your million-dollar idea into reality. Some aspiring entrepreneurs go on to do just that. For others, the high failure rate of startups makes it just too risky.But... more
Leading Your Org through a Cyberattack
Sent to subscribers on March 30, 2022
Last week, President Joe Biden warned U.S. companies to prepare for cyberattacks from Russia, which could come as retaliation for sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Biden went so far as to call this preparation “a patriotic obligation that you invest as much as you can in making... more
What Makes Zelensky Such a Strong Leader?
Sent to subscribers on March 23, 2022
We’re going to look at leadership through a pretty bleak prism today: the war in Ukraine.
The destruction and suffering in Ukraine has been horrifying to watch. But perhaps equally riveting has been the bravery and defiance of the Ukrainian people, including that of President Volodymyr Zelensky who... more
How to Create Social Change at Work
Sent to subscribers on March 16, 2022
Apparently today is National Everything You Do Is Right Day. I’ve got some questions about how exactly this works. But also, it’s about time! And, when you’re doing something right, you want to bring others along with you, too. Today we’ve got a couple pieces of research about how to help persuade... more
How to Fend Off Cyberattacks
Sent to subscribers on March 9, 2022
Good morning,
Many of our Kellogg experts have led fascinating past lives. Take, for example, Michael Rogers, a retired four-star admiral and former National Security Agency director, who also served as the commander of the United States Cyber Command.
So who better to talk with about... more
How to Be Bold (without Being a Jerk)
Sent to subscribers on March 2, 2022
Good morning,Craig Wortmann has a question for you: What are some of your acts of boldness at work?Maybe you’ve asked for a promotion, or a raise. Maybe you volunteered to lead a big project. Or perhaps you are pushing for a new office policy or way of doing business. That’s great! Now... more
You Don’t Have to Manage to Grow In Your Career
Sent to subscribers on February 23, 2022
Good morning,A few weeks ago we heard from Carter Cast about the three key skills you should look for in people you’re promoting into management jobs. Yet you likely know people in your organization who are rock stars at what they do and don’t have those managerial skills. Or maybe they simply... more
The Perks of Meeting Virtually
Sent to subscribers on February 16, 2022
Good morning,Some people love remote work; some hate it. But perhaps we can agree on this: we’re all fatigued by talking about Zoom fatigue. Yet for many of us, remote work in some form, whether full-time or hybrid, is here to stay. So it behooves us to figure out how to get past that fatigue in... more
How to Encourage Resilience in Your Employees
Sent to subscribers on February 9, 2022
Good morning,
How resilient are you feeling today?
Maybe not so much. After all, it’s been nearly two years of living through a pandemic—of navigating remote work and childcare crises, and covering for coworkers who are out sick, in quarantine, or have resigned. It’s also been two years of... more
3 Skills to Look for in New Managers
Sent to subscribers on February 2, 2022
Good morning,
Have you ever seen a stellar employee get promoted into a management position and just … flail? And, despite everyone’s best efforts to get them extra training and candid feedback, it becomes clear that the role simply doesn’t play to their strengths.
It can be tricky to figure out... more
The Problem with Hiring for Cultural Fit
Sent to subscribers on January 26, 2022
Good morning,
When you have an open position to fill, how much do you focus on whether a candidate will be a good cultural fit for your organization or department?Most managers consider cultural fit a top priority, explains Lauren Rivera, a professor of management and organizations who spent a... more
What Astronauts Can Teach Us About Teamwork
Sent to subscribers on January 19, 2022
Good morning, No matter how much you love your coworkers, you probably don’t want to be confined to a small space with them for months on end. So imagine how tricky it is for astronauts on prolonged space missions to get along. How do they do it? What is needed to keep teams of astronauts operating... more
Should Our Jobs Make Us More Ethical?
Sent to subscribers on January 12, 2022
Here’s a somewhat radical idea: jobs should not only help us grow professionally, but also ethically.That’s the argument made in recent research by Maryam Kouchaki, a professor of management and organizations. She and a coauthor argue that workplaces—where, after all, we spend much of our... more
Before You Quit, Ask Yourself These Questions
Sent to subscribers on January 5, 2022
Here we are in 2022, and COVID is showing no signs of slowing down. Nor is the “great resignation” looking like it will let up anytime soon.Have you been tempted to join the roughly 38 million U.S. workers who quit their jobs last year? Are you itching to do something bigger and bolder, or... more
Are Your Data Visualizations Clear?
Sent to subscribers on December 15, 2021
Charts and graphs are ubiquitous in business these days, appearing in client presentations, internal reports, and marketing materials. These data visualizations can be very powerful and persuasive given that they appeal to the roughly 40 percent of our brain involved in visual comprehension.
But... more
What It Takes to Be a Great Manager
Sent to subscribers on December 8, 2021
Most of us are eager to brush up on our leadership skills. (I mean, you are reading a leadership newsletter right now.) Yet we likely spend too little time thinking about how to become a better manager, according to Carter Cast, a clinical professor of entrepreneurship.
“Within a company, leaders... more
4 Tips for Delivering Better Feedback
Sent to subscribers on December 1, 2021
Most of us value getting good feedback. We want to improve, and constructive criticism is what gets us there. But, alas, not everyone is good at delivering feedback. So that’s what we’ll focus on today: how to give useful feedback that people will truly hear and act upon.
How to Deliver Good... more
Virtual Meetings Can Be a Drag. So Fix Them.
Sent to subscribers on November 17, 2021
Whether you like it or not, virtual work is here to stay. Maybe you’re fully remote or in the office a few days a week. Perhaps you’re in the office full time but others aren’t. Regardless, you’re likely conducting a lot of virtual meetings. And, as we have all learned, in-person interactions don’t... more
How to Negotiate for What You Want
Sent to subscribers on November 10, 2021
Much has been made of The Great Resignation of 2021. With that comes a whole lot of opportunities for negotiation. Maybe you quit your job and now have a new offer to consider. Or perhaps the pandemic made you reevaluate your quality of life and you want to propose a more flexible schedule to your... more