Knowledge@Wharton -- Leadership and Change

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: 'Now Is the Time for the Electric Car'

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:19:29 EST

The electric car is real. It's here. And before long -- when curbside charging stations become as ubiquitous as parking meters -- it won't seem all that complicated, either. So says a man who has thrown his corporate reputation into the post-gasoline car: Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan. In a wide-ranging Wharton Leadership Lecture that touched on everything from managing a multicultural conglomerate to pushing for targeted government regulation, Ghosn was at his most optimistic when discussing a future where zero-emissions vehicles are embraced, not out of altruism towards Mother Earth, but because they are good business.

Inside the Bunker: CEO John Mack on Saving Morgan Stanley

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:33:51 EST

During the depths of the global financial meltdown in September 2008, John Mack faced the most critical moment of his tenure as CEO of Morgan Stanley. The investment bank was nearly out of cash, its stock price was plunging into the single digits and Treasury officials were pressuring him to sell the firm to JPMorgan Chase for a price as low as $1. During a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture, Mack offered an insider's take on his battle to preserve thousands of jobs as well as one of the best-known names on Wall Street.

John Thain: It's 'Unfortunate That the American Dream Has Been Demonized'

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:48:04 EST

After he lost his job as CEO of Merrill Lynch following its sale to Bank of America last year, John Thain found himself pilloried by the press for having spent exorbitant sums decorating his Merrill office. During a recent presentation at Wharton, Thain addressed this issue head-on, and then proceeded to offer his opinions as to what caused the crisis, what can be done to prevent it from happening again, and when it will be over -- not just for the financial industry but also for Main Street. One piece of advice: "Relying on the world continuing to look like it used to look is a really bad idea."

Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan: 'There Is No Substitute for Education if We Want to Have a Better World'

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:11:37 EST

When the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became a nation in the early 1970s, it had neither a formal education system nor a university to call its own. Today, however, with new private and public universities springing up across the emirates, the UAE sees a larger role for itself as a promoter of peace and economic development through education, according to Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the nation's minister of higher education and scientific research. In an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Sheikh Nahayan discusses various UAE education initiatives, the impact of technology in and outside the classroom, and what he would envision to be an ideal education system.

Six Months into the Job: How Successful Is the President's Leadership Style?

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:41:52 EST

With many of President Obama's key agenda items still unresolved midway through his first year in office, a debate has started to brew over the effectiveness of his leadership strategy and style. Critics say his agenda is too broad and that he is yielding too much authority to Congress. But leadership experts at Wharton suggest that this approach may be necessary, given the multitude of challenges the President inherited when he took the oath of office.

Ten Ways to Judge a President

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:41:58 EST

Corporate leaders in the United States often draw leadership lessons -- good and bad -- from the examples set by American presidents. But in looking to the White House, it's important to recognize that history's take on presidential performance is subject to change, according to presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, who spoke at a recent Wharton Leadership Conference. He offered 10 rules for presidential evaluations that stand the test of time.

The Mindset of a Problem-Finder

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:36:52 EST

In What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen, author Michael A. Roberto aims to help leaders identify problems before they become major disasters. He discusses why problems go undetected for so long, how to spot patterns across an organization and how to avoid the "isolation trap" that prevents senior executives from seeing problems that are festering beyond their control, among other topics. Roberto, a management professor at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., wrote an earlier book entitled, Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes for an Answer.

BP's Fiona MacLeod: A Change Agent Sees Change 'Addiction'

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:18:09 EST

Fiona MacLeod is a champion of change -- but only when it's done right. Speaking at the recent Wharton Leadership Conference, the president of BP's convenience retail business in the United States and Latin America said change is often designed to "make a big splash," but ultimately fails for lack of clarity and follow-through.

Hollywood's Peter Guber: Spinning Memos into Tales

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:32:29 EST

Mandalay Entertainment Group chairman Peter Guber, who produced popular movies such as Shampoo, The Way We Were and Taxi Driver, knows a thing or two about telling stories. At the recent Wharton Leadership Conference, he argued that storytelling can be an effective leadership tool. In a separate podcast interview with Steve Ennen, managing director of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative, Guber explains why in a corporate setting, stories are more memorable and engaging than slide presentations, memos or sales pitches.

Peter Guber on Sharing Stories, not Just Information, to Communicate Effectively

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:27:19 EST

Do you want to communicate a corporate message effectively? Turn it into a story, says Mandalay Entertainment Group chairman Peter Guber. He argues that stories are more memorable and engaging than slide presentations, memos or sales pitches.

Faith in the Poor: Grameen CEO Sees an Entrepreneurial Path from Poverty

Wed, 13 May 2009 16:53:27 EST

Well-off, educated people tend to overlook entrepreneurialism as a solution to poverty, according to Alex Counts, president and chief executive of the Grameen Foundation. Speaking at Wharton recently, he urged his audience to reconsider their impressions of the poor as incapable of starting and running a business. Living on $1 or $2 a day hones persistence, creativity and thrift, the very skills that make for a good entrepreneur, Counts said. "Those of us who have grown up in affluence underestimate the abilities of the poor and what is learned in survival mode."

Sharing the Wealth: Leonard Abess and the $60 Million Gift to His Employees

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:19:24 EST

When Leonard Abess sold a majority stake in Miami-based City National Bank last fall, he did something very unusual. He took $60 million of that money and gave it out as bonuses to 399 current bank employees and 72 former employees. He did it without calling in a public relations firm or the media. He didn't blog about it. And while he was mentioned in President Obama's inauguration speech and was ABC News Person of the Week, these things were not done at his instigation. In fact, he wasn't even on site when the money was given out. He decided to share the wealth, he said, as a way to reward the people who had helped make the bank successful. Knowledge@Wharton asked Leonard Abess, who remains chairman and CEO of the bank, to talk about the motivation behind his gift, leadership and the current economic crisis.

The 100-day Dash: An Ambitious but Worrisome Start for the Obama Administration

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:19:24 EST

As President Obama wraps up his first 100 days in office, he gets high marks from several Wharton and University of Pennsylvania faculty for his reassuring leadership skills. But they also worry about the cost of his ambitious agenda, and wonder when he will start establishing priorities for what gets tackled when.

Ara Darzi and the British National Health Service: Changing the Mindset

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:07:12 EST

During a recent visit to the University of Pennsylvania, Ara Darzi, Lord Darzi of Denham, spoke with Wharton management professor Michael Useem about the British National Health Service (NHS) and how it plans to meet the challenges of delivering quality health care in England over the next decade. Darzi, a surgeon, was appointed Health Minister by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in June 2007.

Luxury Fashion Executive Domenico De Sole: 'Stay the Course with the Brand'

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:37 EST

Domenico De Sole is chairman of Tom Ford International, the menswear brand that now includes beauty, accessories, fragrance and footwear. He is a lawyer by training, but made the transition to the fashion business when Gucci -- one of his clients -- hired him to join the company. That was in 1984. Over the next 20 years until his departure from Gucci in 2004, he engineered a remarkable turnaround, saving the company from hostile suitors and acquiring such key brands as Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. Indeed, in the fashion world, the standard phrase for managing a successful turnaround has become "doing a Gucci." Knowledge@Wharton asked De Sole for his perspective on the fashion business in a down economy, the consumer mentality, leadership and other topics.

PR Executive Harris Diamond: Negative Perceptions Can Trump Positive Messages

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:37 EST

Perception matters, so don't bring a politician to a union rally in a Datsun. This was one of the lessons Harris Diamond learned during a career that started with selling peanuts in Yankee Stadium. Now CEO of public relations firm Weber Shandwick Worldwide, Diamond shared his thoughts on leadership -- and luck -- during a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture.

New Rules for a New Age: Creating an 'Economic Stimulus Agency' out of the FCC

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:13:39 EST

Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor Kevin Werbach recently worked with the Obama administration's transition team on a review of the Federal Communications Commission and related technology and telecommunications issues. In an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, he says that advances in technology and the urgent need to restart the economy require the commission to rethink its role -- not just as a regulator, but as an agency that creates jobs and encourages investment.

Flying High: Microsoft's Stephen Elop Balances Future Vision with Present-day Realities

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:34:51 EST

After spending most of his career at companies that competed with Microsoft, Stephen Elop became president of Microsoft's Business Division a little over a year ago. Following his keynote address at the recent Wharton Business Technology Conference, Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Elop about how the company intends to balance its traditional strengths with its goal of moving forward to the next generation of connected software applications. Elop also discussed ways in which the current economic crisis is reshaping Microsoft's business strategy, among other topics.

One Former Investment Banker's Take on Restoring the 'Financial Quality, Integrity and Soundness of Our System'

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:49:42 EST

At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Wharton management professor Michael Useem talked with Suzanne Nora Johnson, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs until 2007, about the global crisis, executive compensation, the Goldman Sachs culture and CEO succession, among other topics. Johnson currently serves on a number of for-profit and non-profit boards, including AIG, Intuit, Pfizer, Visa, Women's World Banking and the American Red Cross.

Dubai Media Deputy CEO Najla Al-Awadhi: Empowering Others through Information

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:25:31 EST

As deputy CEO of Dubai Media and the youngest member of the United Arab Emirates parliament, Najla Al-Awadhi has quickly risen to prime leadership positions in a society that is still largely male-dominated. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire in the United States, she has been outspoken about women's rights, and advocates a progressive yet culturally relevant media. In an e-mail interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Al-Awadhi talks about her own role models, why it's still hard for women in the Middle East to break out of traditional gender roles, and what advice she would give the next generation of women business leaders in the region.