Havard Management Tip of the Day

In a volatile environment, trust in leadership is more than a “nice to have”—it directly affects engagement, morale, and performance. Here’s how to build it with consistency and intention.  Spot and address trust deficits. If you don’t know where trust is breaking down, you can’t fix it. Use surveys or focus groups to ask employees directly: Do they trust senior leaders? Have […]

When uncertainty strikes, the default reaction is often to retreat. But courageous leaders don’t wait for clarity—they create it. Courage is not about being fearless; it’s about acting in service of a purpose, even when fear is present. And it’s a skill that can be developed. Here’s how.    Reframe fear through story. Courage starts with the stories you tell yourself. Look for patterns […]

In the run-up to the new year, we’re resharing some of our favorite tips from 2025. 6 Steps to Identifying Your Core Values  As a leader, you’ll face numerous high-stakes situations. When there’s no clear playbook for how to handle them, your personal core values can guide your most difficult decisions. But to use them effectively, you need to define them first. Start with these […]

In the run-up to the new year, we’re resharing some of our favorite tips from 2025. Create a One-Slide Strategy That Sticks  If your strategy is hard to explain, it’ll be even harder for others to understand and follow. A clear, well-designed visualization can help you get buy-in from employees and investors alike—and make your message far easier to […]

In the run-up to the new year, we’re resharing some of our favorite tips from 2025. What to Say When Disagreeing  Constructive disagreement can spark creativity, prevent costly errors, and drive better decisions. To keep disagreements from escalating into conflict, you need to use language that shows your counterparts that you’re coming from a place of curiosity and empathy. Here’s how […]

In the run-up to the new year, we’re resharing some of our favorite tips from 2025. Build a Custom AI Assistant to Save Yourself Time  Custom AI assistants can save you time and effort by eliminating repetitive tasks. You don’t need to have coding skills to use them, but to get the most out of them, you […]

In the run-up to the new year, we’re resharing some of our favorite tips from 2025. Weave Kindness into the Fabric of Your Team  Want high-performing teams that collaborate, communicate, and stay engaged? Treat kindness as a core management responsibility—not a personal trait or optional extra. Here’s how to operationalize kindness on your team.  Set clear expectations. Make kindness measurable by turning […]

If you’re aiming for a C-suite role, impressing board members and CEOs is only part of the challenge. You also need to win over professional recruiters and assessors, who are now central to most top-level hiring decisions. Here’s how to prepare.  Shift your mindset. Treat the evaluation process as a development opportunity. Recruiter interviews, assessments, and reference checks can reveal […]

When disruption is constant, leadership requires the ability to adapt quickly while staying grounded in your purpose. To navigate complexity with clarity, make pivoting a daily habit that’s rooted in values. Here’s how.  Start by facing hard truths. Don’t waste energy defending outdated strategies. Acknowledge what’s no longer working and challenge assumptions that may be holding you back. Clarity—no matter how uncomfortable it […]

Overwhelm is easy to miss and costly to ignore. As a leader, your job is to recognize when capable people are quietly running on empty, burning out, or disengaging—and intervene accordingly. Here’s how.   Spot the silence and the strain. Don’t mistake calm for calmness. Overwhelm often hides behind composure or quiet disengagement. Watch for subtle signs: restlessness, missed deadlines, indecision, or working through breaks. Ask open-ended […]

Job insecurity often leads to real shifts in behavior and performance: People go quiet, take fewer risks, and disengage. As a leader, you can’t always eliminate fear, but you can reduce its impact by showing up with clarity and care. Here’s how to respond without overpromising or avoiding hard truths. Acknowledge the fear. Start by acknowledging your own emotions to ground yourself. […]

When a CEO hangs on to authority but shows up inconsistently, the result is organizational whiplash: priorities shift, decisions get undone, and trust erodes. As a leader, you can’t control their disruptive presence, but you can stabilize what’s around you. Here’s how.  Start with curiosity, not judgment. When the CEO’s behavior feels erratic, don’t jump to conclusions. Avoid reacting to the story you’re telling yourself. Instead, […]

If your team always returns from the holidays more exhausted than energized, you’re likely dealing with the end-of-year productivity paradox: The final weeks of December, when everyone already feels stressed and depleted, are overloaded with deadlines, meetings, and last-minute obligations. This stress ultimately undermines productivity and momentum in the new year. A “Wrap-Up Week” can […]

When the stakes are high, your mindset can make or break your performance. To lead effectively under pressure, train yourself to focus on what you can control—not on the outcome or others’ opinions. Here’s how.  Ignore the noise. Don’t let external feedback dictate your confidence. Whether it’s praise or criticism, both can be distracting. Instead, stay grounded in your preparation and […]

If you want to move into senior leadership, it’s not enough just to say you’re adaptable. You have to show it. The most promotable leaders consistently demonstrate adaptability, especially in high-stakes moments. Here’s how to embed it into your leadership brand.  Model change-ready behavior in real time. When disruption hits, avoid falling into defensive habits. […]

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]