Best-Practices Leadership

Leadership Tips: Vol. 114

January 28, 2014
Become a Beta leader and build a Beta workplace … Deliver consistently with “deliberate practice” … Don’t shy away from one very informal word.

Calling the shots with some chutzpah

January 23, 2014
Typically, a CEO who seeks to impress an important client will defer to the client’s wishes. But Linda Kaplan Thaler isn’t a typical CEO. As chief executive of a big New York advertising agency, she recalls a 2001 meeting with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp.

Boost group effort by forming a scrum

January 23, 2014
Rugby teams try to harness the talent of each player at just the right time to clear a path downfield. Similarly, top business teams operate with speed, flexibility and autonomy.

Ford runs on hard data, not soft hunches

January 16, 2014
Many CEOs favor fact-based leadership. Rather than rely on their impressions or gut instinct, they tend to scrutinize facts and make decisions rooted in hard data. Alan Mulally, Ford Motor’s 68-year-old CEO, has stood out among leaders of American auto companies for his intense focus on numbers.

No bosses? This CEO makes it work

January 3, 2014
Chris Rufer has brought innovation to an industry not accustomed to outside-the-box thinking: tomato processing. Rufer views the traditional relationship be­­tween supervisor and employee as “forced” and “artificial.”

Leadership Tips: Vol. 1213

December 23, 2013
Don’t worry about timing … Learn more about startups from the real experts … Use technology to knock out that to-do list.

Target’s ‘wiki’ culture starts with CEO

December 19, 2013

To create a more collaborative culture, CEO Gregg Steinhafel encourages Target’s 365,000 employees to harness social media. The retail giant has developed an internal online platform that enables workers at all levels to post comments, share ideas and engage in Facebook-like interaction with each other.

Panera bets on ‘pay-what-you-can’

December 17, 2013
They may look just like any other of the 1,600 Panera locations, but five Panera Cares cafés don’t use price lists or cash registers. After three years, this pioneering effort—the first time a major U.S. corporation has put resources behind making pay-what-you-can work—is surviving.

CEO’s duty: Customer service rep?

December 12, 2013

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, likes to introduce himself as the com­pany’s customer service representative. He’s part joking, but his point is clear. By focusing on serving customers, Newmark preserves his brand.

Think calmly, think fast

December 9, 2013

Early on, John Woolard decided to make energy conservation turn a profit. By his early 20s, he was asking himself: “What do you do with your life? How do you make it meaningful?” Several experiences shaped his course.