Rotman School of Management’s Jennifer Riel shares a four-step process for making stronger choices.

Do you ever hesitate before sending an email, weighing whether you should sign off your thanks with an exclamation point (friendly, eager) or a comma (cold, analytical)? You’re not alone. A new study explored how exclamation points were actually received—and…

Even seasoned leaders and boards struggle with CEO exits. Every transition is shaped by a unique mix of people, politics, and circumstances, but all have an emotional undercurrent. In an ideal exit, all parties create a virtuous cycle of candor and trust.…

The EU AI Act, which will take effect fully in August 2026, is transforming how companies of all sizes build and deploy AI systems. Applications of AI labeled as high risk—including common tools like CV screeners—will soon face strict compliance requirements…

CEO effectiveness is a critical driver of company performance. As a senior leader, how do you lead effectively when the CEO is difficult to work with? You can’t change a CEO’s personality, but you can shape how you engage, align others, and create the conditions…

Retail media networks (RMNs) are transforming how suppliers reach shoppers by combining advertising with transaction data to deliver personalized messages and measurable results at the point of purchase. This model is supposed to be precise, profitable, and…

Customer centricity isn’t just a metric—it’s a leadership philosophy that strengthens culture while securing long-term enterprise value. This HBR Executive Playbook provides practical steps to help leaders ask the right questions and build an organization…

Many companies falter after a great early leader departs. An outstanding exception is Costco. Since Jim Sinegal retired as Costco’s CEO, in January 2012, the membership warehouse retailer has continued to thrive even as many other retailers have struggled…

In this HBR Executive Live, editor at large Adi Ignatius talks to former CEO of Coach Lew Frankfort about his professional and personal journey building a customer-centric brand while learning the act of self-care. This session offers a sneak peek at the…

AI-driven large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overview are increasingly chipping away at traditional search. This new internet landscape has left brands struggling to figure out how to optimize their content. While there…

Many companies already have the ideas they need to innovate but lack effective systems to surface and connect them. Research shows most employee ideas go unreviewed, leaving major value untapped. Strengthening “idea marketplaces” by streamlining processes…

As business complexity increases, more organizations will experiment with co-leadership models that allow pairs of CEOs or other executives to divide the cognitive and operational loads of their roles. The benefits of such arrangements include leveraging…

Sponsor content from ARM.

Can the discount retail chain stay relevant to its price sensitive shoppers through smart marketing, pricing, and branding strategies?

A conversation with HBS professor Ranjay Gulati about taking bold action amid uncertainty.

Leaders today are facing more complexity, faster change, and higher expectations than ever. But budget cuts, approval bottlenecks, and cultural barriers can put the executive coaching that could help them navigate all this uncertainty out of reach. This is…

In today’s competitive market, brands seeking to accelerate their growth should focus on creating emotional resonance through unexpected joy. Brands that deliver memorable, shareable moments of joy can differentiate themselves from their competition and build…

With the right approach, even small firms can get a competitive advantage from the right kinds of tests.

New research reveals that a manager’s true value—for both individuals and their firms—lies not in being a great motivator or monitor, but in their ability to strategically place talent. Analyzing 20 years of data from 200,000 employees and 30,000 managers…

Generative AI is no longer just automating text; with AI-based wage-setting, it’s shaping paychecks, livelihoods, and access to opportunity. Left unchecked, these systems risk reinforcing, or even widening, global inequalities. New research shows that AI…