Crisis Leadership

Toyota puts brakes on crisis leadership

March 12, 2010

Family-owned businesses don’t get much bigger than Toyota. Yet, both company President Akio Toyoda and his father, honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda, were curiously silent in January and February during the recall of about 8 million cars. It remains to be seen how badly this recall will hurt Toyota’s standing. But the Toyodas’ apparent unwillingness to take the heat sets a poor example.

3 recessionary problems, 3 solutions

January 11, 2010

The waning days of this recession pose three particular problems: absentee leadership, changing cultures and underperforming employees. Here are three solutions, adapted from “Leading during a downturn”:

Liz Claiborne CEO rides out the storm

December 11, 2009

Managing in a protracted turnaround “has been brutal,” says William L. McComb, CEO of Liz Claiborne. Under his command, the women’s clothier has posted seven consecutive quarterly losses. Yet his board of directors stands by him. He suggests these strategies for working with a board in tough times:

Keep your people motivated during a company crisis

June 26, 2006
It’s not the end of the world, but to your employees, it feels like it could be. How you handle times of trouble for your company will decide whether or not your people come out unscathed.