Essays

In the management press.

Are our management theories outdated? Harvard Business Review, June 18, 2020

To fight systemic racism, protest ‘leadership’—not just leaders. Fast Company, June 5

Every manager is having a midlife crisis. Financial Times, June 1

Your people need care, not a battle cry. MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2020

We are all zoombies now, but it has to stop. Financial Times, May 14

Why leadership isn’t a miracle cure for the COVID-19 crisis (and what can really help). Fast Company, May 5, 2020

The psychology behind effective crisis leadership. Harvard Business Review, April 22, 2020

Keep your people learning when you go virtual. (with Annie Peshkam) Harvard Business Review, April 10, 2020

Why are you panic working? Try this instead.  Bloomberg Opinion, March 24, 2020

2019

Learning for a living. MIT Sloan Management Review, Winter 2020

Going back to work after a pregnancy loss. (with Sally Maitlis) Harvard Business Review, December 5, 2019

When a colleague is grieving. (with Sally Maitlis) Harvard Business Review, July-August, 2019

2018

How to leave a job you love. Harvard Business Review, November 15, 2018

Business does not need the humanities–but humans do. Harvard Business Review, November 2, 2018

Are you sacrificing for your work, or just suffering for it? Harvard Business Review, August 28, 2018

The art of great leadership. HR Magazine, July 2018

To overcome your insecurity, recognise where it really comes from. Harvard Business Review, June 27, 2018, with Svenja Weber

Andrés Iniesta’s farewell, and how to make endings count at work. Harvard Business Review, May 30, 2018, with Tim Leberecht

To take charge of your career, start by building your tribe. Harvard Business Review, April 5, 2018

Thriving in the gig economy. (with Sue Ashford & Amy Wrzesniewski) Harvard Business Review, March-April 2018

2017

When Every Leader Promises to Change the World, How Can We Tell Who Will Leave Us Better Off? Harvard Business Review, December 4

Bruce Springsteen, Artful Leadership, and What Rock Star Bosses Do. Harvard Business Review, September 27

The Portable Leader is the New “Organisation Man.” Harvard Business Review, August 10

The Talent Curse. (with Jennifer Petriglieri) Harvard Business Review, May 2017 

Psychoanalysing the world’s problems won’t help us solve them. Harvard Business Review, Jan 24

2016

In defense of cosmopolitanism. Harvard Business Review, Dec 15

What ‘The Art of The Deal’ reveals about leadership fairy tales. Harvard Business Review, Aug 26

Clinton, Trump, and the danger of comparing leadership styles. Harvard Business Review, Aug 3

Brexit and the leadership equivalent of empty calories. (audio) Harvard Business Review, June 30

Are leaders getting too emotional? (audio) Harvard Business Review, March 17

Why we pick leaders with deceptively simple answers. Harvard Business Review, May 9

How to really customize leadership development. Harvard Business Review, Feb 18

2015

After Paris, we need more fellowship, not more leadership. Harvard Business Review, Nov 14

What if management ideas actually mattered? Harvard Business Review, Nov 5

Technology is not threatening our humanity—we are. Harvard Business Review, Oct 30

Is overwork killing you? Harvard Business Review, Aug 31

Making sense of Zappo’s war on managers. Harvard Business Review, May 19

Stop trying to find your true self at work. Harvard Business Review, Apr 3

How leaders earn legitimacy and trust. (video) Harvard Business Review, Mar 3

2014

There is no shortage of leaders. Harvard Business Review, Dec 15

Learning is the most celebrated neglected activity in the workplace. Harvard Business Rev., Nov 6

Emotions are data, too. Harvard Business Review, May 9

Give HR departments more authority. Wall Street Journal, May 1

The limits of emotional intelligence. Wall Street Journal, April 28

Why work is lonely. Harvard Business Review, March 5

The unspeakable Davos. Harvard Business Review, January 24

Nomadic leaders need roots. (audio) Harvard Business Review, January 2, 2014

2013

Four key questions for CEOs. Wall Street Journal, Nov 25

Microsoft’s next leader needs to build trust. Wall Street Journal, Oct 21

Why I’m skeptical about MOOCs. Wall Street Journal, Oct 11

Why it’s hard to make professors more productive. Wall Street Journal, Oct 10

Education isn’t just about churning out ‘skilled’ employees. Wall Street Journal, Oct 9

Let them eat MOOCs. Harvard Business Review, Oct 9

Let’s turn off all technology in the office once a day. Wall Street Journal, Sep 17

Innovation is a nice, but too often misunderstood, buzzword. Wall Street Journal, Sep 16

Boston’s heartbreak and the search for meaning. Harvard Business Review, Apr 17

Getting stuck can help you grow. Harvard Business Review, Feb 6

Obama’s inauguration and why we still need rituals. Harvard Business Review, Jan 21

2012

Finding the job of your life. Harvard Business Review, Dec 12

Are business schools clueless or evil? Harvard Business Review, Nov 14

Moving around without losing your roots. Harvard Business Review, Oct 3

The art of career development. (video) Harvard Business Review, Sep 25

Who can teach leadership? Harvard Business Review, Aug 28

Marissa Mayer is not the exception—she is the norm. Forbes, Jul 20

Mark Zuckerberg’s magic touch. Harvard Business Review, May 18

The best path to success is your own. Harvard Business Review, May 11

Turn your career into a work of art. Harvard Business Review, Apr 24

Privilege: A user’s guide. Harvard Business Review, Jan 25

2011

How Steve Jobs reinvented leadership. Forbes, Oct 10

Steve Jobs wasn’t (just) a leader. Harvard Business Review, Oct 7

A lesson in engaged artistry. Harvard Business Review, Mar 23

Fueling an appetite for leadership. Harvard Business Review, Jun 3

The perils of being groomed for leadership. Forbes, Jan 11