Leadership Mistakes

Facing the board after failure

October 28, 2016
In the late 1990s, Brad Smith developed a bold idea for an e-commerce business. But it would take $40 million to implement.

When a leader fails to foresee the worst

October 5, 2016
Underestimating a crisis can upend a leader’s best intentions. Just ask the CEO of the biggest food and beverage company in the world.

A chagrined CEO admits errors

September 8, 2016
To his credit, Joel Gascoigne doesn’t run away from his mistakes. Instead, he admits them openly for all to see.

Too many visions hurt Twitter CEO

August 15, 2016

The traits that served Dick Costolo well during Twitter’s early years did not help him once it became a public company. His background did not prepare him to run a huge global business with investors clamoring for stable growth.

Fight off overconfidence or go bust

July 28, 2016
As CEO of Blockbuster in 2004, John Antioco headed a retail giant. The $6 billion video rental chain earned 60% profit margins with 60,000 employees. But six years later, it went bankrupt.

Why did United Technologies’ CEO quit?

July 27, 2016
If leadership aspirations are too lofty, they can lose all their meaning.

4 signs your company’s gone to the dark side

June 30, 2016

Overwhelmed by the expectations of superiors to keep the money rolling in, it’s easy for managers to begin to overlook little ethical lapses. But where does it lead?

Use humor, but don’t offend

May 10, 2016
One CEO says the worst decision he ever made was making an ill-advised joke.

The orange that made Whole Foods red-faced

March 28, 2016
The grocery giant recently suffered a pratfall many found funny—but it was a tough lesson for businesses in this age of ‘justice by social media.’

4 common leadership slip-ups

January 29, 2016
In the face of overwhelming change, it’s easy to see why senior managers retreat to mechanisms that help them avoid anxiety and discomfort. But those mechanisms, by definition, thwart leadership.