HBR On Leadership
Harvard Business Review
Leadership isn’t just a personality trait, it’s a set of skills that you can build. Whether you’re managing up or motivating a team, HBR On Leadership is your destination for insights and inspiration from the world’s top leadership practitioners and experts. Every Wednesday, the editors at the Harvard Business Review hand-picked case studies and conversations with global business leaders, management experts, academics, from across HBR to help you unlock the best in those around you.
Episodes
Mentioned books
89 snips
May 7, 2026 • 34min
Communicating with Confidence When You’re Under Pressure
Muriel Wilkins, leadership coach and author of Leadership Unblocked, helps leaders communicate under stress. She covers listening to understand, anchoring yourself to stay present, and when to pause or reschedule. Practical tips include focusing on outcomes, being concrete to show confidence, and choosing the right mode of communication.
38 snips
Apr 29, 2026 • 25min
Build Your Resilience in the Face of Tough Change
Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and author who studies how people navigate change, shares stories and science about identity loss and recovery. She discusses anchoring to purpose, expanding imagined futures, building resilience, learning from failure, spotting shaken identities in teams, and coping with AI-driven workplace shifts.
90 snips
Apr 22, 2026 • 38min
Making the Shift from Individual Contributor to Leader
Muriel Wilkins, leadership development expert and coach on executive presence, shares guidance on shifting from individual contributor to leader. She discusses the awkward growth phase, concrete communication moves to be seen as a leader, balancing leading with learning, and how to build visibility and trust—especially in remote settings.
7 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 31min
Scaling a Business Beyond the Family Playbook
Henry McGee, Harvard Business School senior lecturer who researches scaling minority businesses, and Jessica Johnson-Cope, CEO who transformed a multigenerational Black- and woman-owned security firm, discuss growth choices. They explore expanding services into cybersecurity, partnering across states, preserving founding values, succession planning, and barriers minority entrepreneurs face. Practical strategy and purpose drive their conversation.
151 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 23min
Is Your Company Suffering from Initiative Overload?
Michael Watkins, leadership consultant known for organizational transitions, and Rose Hollister, specialist in prioritization and change, tackle initiative overload. They discuss why legacy projects accumulate, how multiple initiatives magnify burdens on frontline teams, why simple prioritization fails, and practical inventory and stop-start practices leaders can use to trim work and protect capacity.
71 snips
Apr 1, 2026 • 23min
When You’re Worn Down—and Your Team Is Too
Daisy Auger-Domínguez, a workplace strategist and author focused on wellbeing, offers practical ways to reclaim joy at work. She discusses how burnout shows up, why middle managers are squeezed, and how curiosity and rituals like gratitude rounds or a ‘happy folder’ can restore energy. Short, actionable ideas for rebuilding connection and purpose at work.
167 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 28min
The Most Successful Leaders Never Stop Learning
David Novak, former chair and CEO who scaled KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell and author of How Leaders Learn. He explains why continuous learning matters and describes three ways leaders learn. He talks about choosing growth environments, learning from experience and failure, and turning curiosity into habits that drive action.
75 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 29min
What It Takes to Execute a Successful Company Turnaround
Peter Cuneo, seasoned turnaround executive and former Marvel CEO who led major comebacks, shares how to diagnose struggling businesses and why culture matters. He talks about rapid financial mastery, bold talent moves, and balancing competitor study with radical ideas. He also explains communication rituals that rebuild teams and when fresh leadership is necessary.
34 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 20min
Looking Back on Nike’s Evolution from Startup to Global Enterprise
Phil Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Nike and author of Shoe Dog, reflects on starting the company with coach Bill Bowerman and shaping its innovation-led culture. He discusses early product breakthroughs like the Cortez and waffle sole. He also talks about leadership lessons, crisis-driven on-the-job training, and the challenges of CEO succession.
129 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 31min
Why Storytelling Matters When Changing Company Culture
Jay Barney, a professor of organizational culture and strategy, explains how authentic, memorable stories rewrite old company narratives. He discusses why actions, not announcements, create culture-changing stories. He covers theatrical leader gestures, the need for both business case and emotional appeal, how stories spread, and challenges like remote work to storytelling.
