Harvard Business Review: Quick Study

Are there fewer women in management because we can’t discern between confidence and competence? The popular explanations range from women just aren’t capable of being leaders to women just don’t want to be leaders. According to author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic however, the absence of women in leadership roles has less to do with women themselves and more to do with how we interpret leadership traits. Confidence – a trait more associated with men – is often misinterpreted as competence. As a result, charismatic, but incompetent men have fewer barriers to reach the top than women. Individuals in positions to promote and hire managers should think more critically about what seems like a leadership trait versus what is an actual leadership trait. They will find that arrogance and overconfidence – the characteristics that get men into management positions – are also the characteristics that cause poor performance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvar

Because boundaries are fuzzy, you could either burn out or not get anything done. More people are foregoing a lengthy commute and working from home. But sometimes, like during the coronavirus outbreak we’re experiencing now, you may actually have to work from home. Whether you are a full-time freelancer or the occasional telecommuter, working outside an office can be a challenge. What are the best ways to set yourself up for success? How do you stay focused and productive? And how do you keep your work life separate from your home life? Based on the following HBR.org articles: “5 Ways to Work from Home More Effectively” by Carolyn O’Hara “How to Stay Focused When You’re Working from Home” by Elizabeth Grace Saunders --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we

Trust is not as fragile as people think — it can be rebuilt. And that process starts with a good apology. A strong apology can make or break a company when it’s facing a reputational crisis, according to Sandra J. Sucher, a professor at Harvard Business School, and Shalene Gupta, a research associate at Harvard Business School. When crafting a public apology, companies should answer three questions. The first is "Do we tell the truth?" Doing so can instill confidence in your audience, and lets them know you know what went wrong. The second is "On whose behalf are we acting?" The people who were harmed should feel like their needs are being addressed. Finally, "How do our actions benefit those who trust us?" Leaders must convince people that the company can truly fix the problem. Trust is not as fragile as people think — it's not black and white. Research shows that it's nuanced and multi-dimensional, that it waxes and wanes. And with an effective apology (and a lot of work), it can be

Three challenges every successful couple must overcome. Because their working lives and personal lives are deeply intertwined, dual-career couples face unique challenges. Three transition points typically occur during their working and love lives. During these transitions, some couples craft a way to thrive in love and work, while others are plagued by conflict and regret. By understanding each transition and knowing what questions to ask each other and what traps to avoid, dual-career couples can emerge stronger, fulfilled in their relationships and in their careers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. So we try to arm our r

It’s about training yourself to pause. Here's how. Amy Jen Su, author of "The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self—Every Day", says that recognizing when you’re about to engage in a bad habit--and being able to find a “magic pause”--is the key. If you’re about to snap at a co-worker, reach for that sugary snack, or micromanage a direct report, there are ways to short circuit these behaviors before they begin. She describes three techniques in detail: having a mantra or “swing thought”, breathing with intentionality, and practicing something she calls the “washing the dishes meditation.” --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our

Setup, conflict, resolution. You know right away when you see an effective chart or graphic. It hits you with an immediate sense of its meaning and impact. But what actually makes it clearer, sharper, and more effective? In this video, Scott Berinato, author of “Good Charts” and “Good Charts Workbook”, walks through the three essential ingredients of any story--including those told with data. --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. So we try to arm our readers with ideas that help them become smarter, more creative, and more courageous in their work. We enlist the foremost experts in a wide range of topics, including career plann

Government intervention is needed, but managers can take these steps right now. Caitlyn Collins, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis, conducted interviews with mothers in four countries — the United States, Italy, Germany, and Sweden — who have jobs outside the home to better understand the pressures they felt. She found that American moms were by far the most stressed, primarily because of the lack of parental benefits offered by their employers and the government. In Europe, women told Collins they had more help, but at times cultural norms around their personal and professional roles had yet to catch up. Collins thinks companies can work to improve the situation but argues that the real solution is carefully designed government interventions that will help families at all income levels. She’s the author of the book Making Motherhood Work: How Women Manage Careers and Caregiving. --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business

If you’re comfortable but bored at your current position, you’re in the danger zone. Here are some ways to keep growing without leaving your company. Whitney Johnson, an executive coach and author of "Disrupt Yourself", says we give a lot of airtime to building disruptive products and services, to buying and/or investing in disruptive companies, and we should. Both are vital engines of economic growth. But, the most overlooked engine of growth is the individual. If you are really looking to move the world forward, begin by innovating on the inside, and disrupt yourself. --------------------------------------------------------------------- At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. So we try to arm our