Havard Management Tip of the Day

Yoga is more than a physical activity; it can provide a practical framework for navigating life, including work. In high-pressure environments, its core principles can sharpen focus, build resilience, and improve decision-making. Here’s how to apply them.  Unblock your energy. Use breathwork and meditation to shift from stress to clarity. When you remove mental and […]

The best negotiators communicate clearly, think strategically, build trust, and lead with integrity. To improve your outcomes, hone four essential skills during negotiations.  Start with language and emotional control. How you speak and listen shapes perceptions. Use precise, logical language. Listen to understand rather than react. Regulate your emotions and read others’ cues to keep […]

When your emotional energy is running low, it’s easy to fake your way through the day. But leaders who consistently “surface act” by suppressing their true feelings while putting on a front risk falling into a loop of exhaustion and disconnection. Research shows that breaking this cycle doesn’t require grand gestures. It starts with these […]

Digital tools are meant to make work easier and more efficient, but they can derail our attention and drain our energy. The tools aren’t going away (or getting less numerous), but you can mitigate the digital exhaustion they cause. Yesterday we laid out four tips to help you do that. Here are four more.  Don’t […]

If your workday feels like a blur of nonstop meetings, unread messages, and screen hopping, you might be dealing with digital exhaustion. Instead of letting digital tools fragment your focus and drain your energy, use these strategies to reset.  Stop using half your tools. Too many apps force your brain into constant modality shifts. Audit […]

Coaching builds your team members’ capacity to analyze problems, consider multiple perspectives, and devise solutions in the moment. It can feel daunting to find the time for coaching, but you don’t need formal, hour-long sessions to effectively coach your employees. Some of the most impactful development moments happen during the regular flow of work—if you […]

If your team struggles to give honest feedback, the problem may not be a lack of courage or skill; often, it’s uncertainty about whether feedback is truly welcome. Even experienced employees will hesitate if they don’t think their input will be well received. The best way to shift the dynamic is to create a culture […]

If you’re ending each day feeling drained, the problem may not be your workload, but how your brain is being used. Most leaders over-rely on the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s planning and decision-making center. But this part fatigues quickly under pressure. To sustain high performance, you need to engage other neural systems—and create conditions for […]

Metaphors can make or break your transformation message. They simplify complexity, create emotional connection, and cut through resistance. But not just any metaphor will do. Use these four questions to choose one that sticks.  Which threat are you calming? Strategic change triggers emotional responses tied to status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. Identify the dominant […]

When your leadership hits a wall, don’t just look outward—look inward. Often, the real blockers of success are unproductive beliefs you’re not even aware of. These hidden mindsets limit your effectiveness, decision-making, and ability to grow. The good news? You can shift them. Start with these seven common blockers and reframe them into more productive […]

AI won’t create value on its own. To unlock its potential, you must lead differently—shifting how you learn, structure teams, make decisions, develop people, and model change. Here’s where to start.  Span organizational boundaries. Fluency with AI develops through networks and exposure. Build relationships across industries, startups, regulators, and technologists. More-experienced users can provide insight […]

Being a reliable leader has its perks, but it can also make you the default pick for every stray assignment. Over time, that “magnet effect” drains your focus and fuels burnout. Here’s how to stop attracting extra work.   Prioritize without overcommitting. When given a new task, don’t default to saying yes. Assess how it fits […]

Yesterday we shared five ways “being yourself” can backfire at work. Here are four more ways authenticity can damage your reputation—and how to take a more strategic approach.   Taking full credit. Even if you led the project, claiming all the credit makes you seem self-important. Highlighting team efforts earns more goodwill and trust.  Using edgy […]

You’ve likely been told to “just be yourself” at work—but that’s not always good advice. What feels authentic to you may harm how others perceive your competence, reliability, or professionalism. Here are five behaviors that feel real but may damage your reputation.   Sharing political beliefs. Saying exactly what you think may feel honest, but it […]

Managing more people with fewer resources can make you feel like you’re constantly putting out fires. The path out of this management overload starts with a shift in how you lead. Here’s how to take control.   Group people together to reduce your load. If you lead more than 10 people, organize them into small, self-sufficient […]

Yesterday we shared strategies for how to use language in disagreements. If you want people to share bold ideas and challenge assumptions, you also need to create the right environment for it. Here’s how.  Train for verbal skill, not just mindset. Instead of instructing people to be open minded or empathetic, show them how to […]

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 to turn disagreements into better ideas and decisions.  Signal that you want to learn. Start […]

Many companies falter when their early leaders step away—not because their vision was wrong, but because it wasn’t built to endure. If you want your organization to outlast you, your convictions must shape the culture, not just strategy. Here’s how to lead using principles that stick. Ensure every decision reinforces your value proposition. Don’t chase […]

Yesterday we shared five ways board members can orchestrate a successful CEO exit. But what about the person leaving the role? Exiting the CEO role isn’t just a logistical shift—it’s an emotional one. Even when the timing feels right, the final stretch can be emotional, stirring up feelings of lost identity and status. But handled […]

Too many CEO exits are treated like terminations, not transitions. Organizations fall back on boilerplate legal language—don’t poach, don’t disclose, don’t disparage—rather than crafting a deliberate plan for continuity, culture, and leadership. As a board member, here’s how you can reinforce your organization’s identity and continuity during this crucial moment.  Reinforce with incentives. Align exit […]