Microsoft: instilling a growth mindset

HERMINIA IBARRA AND ANEETA RATTAN Leadership LBSR

When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in February 2014, the company seemed in danger of fading into irrelevance. Now its share price is at an all-time high. How did he do it? By Herminia Ibarra and Aneeta Rattan In less than five years as CEO, Satya Nadella has taken Microsoft from a company perceived as a Windows-centric lumbering giant …

From know-it-alls to learn-it-alls: How leaders can instil a growth mindset

HERMINIA IBARRA AND ANEETA RATTAN Leadership WORK

It’s tempting to stick to what you know. Especially when things are going well. But success in the long run also means knowing when and how to hit “refresh” when you need to come up with new ideas to deal with disruption. Take the example of Microsoft. Back in February 2014, the company was in danger of becoming irrelevant. The …

A 5-Part Process for Using Technology to Improve Your Talent Management

Herminia Ibarra and Patrick Petitti Career Management HBR

At the law firm Allen & Overy, the idea of replacing traditional, annual performance appraisals with a technology-enabled continuous feedback system did not come from human resources. It came from a leader within the practice. Wanting something that encouraged more-frequent conversations between associates and partners, the senior lawyer read about what companies like Adobe were doing, and then asked his …

Why Strategic Networks Are Important for Women and How to Build Them

Herminia Ibarra Women & Work The EVE Program

“My problem,” said Anna, a financial services executive, “is getting to know the guys two levels above, my bosses’ boss and his peers. We just don’t have many occasions to meet and when we do, we just focus on the task at hand. I’m not really getting to know him, and he certainly isn’t getting to know me.  But, to …

How to Capture Value from Collaboration, Especially If You’re Skeptical About It

Heidi K. Gardner and Herminia Ibarra Leadership HBR

Many of us recognize intellectually that we need others’ knowledge to solve big problems, yet we still lack the motivation to collaborate. Teamwork all too often feels inefficient (search and coordination costs eat up time), risky (can I trust others to deliver for my client?), low value (our own area of expertise always seems most critical), and political (a sneaky way of self-promoting to …

Work pressure demands more downtime than a fleeting week off

Herminia Ibarra Career Management The Financial Times

Sabbaticals are one sign of a need for respite but even they can be too busy, writes Herminia Ibarra The month of August, that hallowed time when Latin Europe grinds to a sunny halt, concludes with September’s good intentions to sustain the summer’s healthier habits. Rapidly we revert to form. Finnish researcher Jessica de Bloom’s analysis shows the feelings of …

5 Misconceptions About Networking

Herminia Ibarra Leadership HBR

A good network keeps you informed. Teaches you new things. Makes you more innovative. Gives you a sounding board to flesh out your ideas. Helps you get things done when you’re in a hurry. And, much more (see my recent Lean In video on how networks augment your impact). But, for every person who sees the value of maintaining a …

Intel’s Andy Grove and the difference between good and bad fear

Herminia Ibarra Leadership The Financial Times

The late CEO loved a shouting match but staff knew they could speak up, writes Herminia Ibarra Be scared, be very scared, advised the late Andy Grove. “Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction. Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.” Grove’s words, recalled worldwide in the wake of his death last month, are interesting …

Why strategic networking is harder for women

Herminia Ibarra Women & Work World Economic Forum

“My problem,” said Anna, a financial services executive, “is getting to know the guys two levels above, my bosses’ boss and his peers. We just don’t have many occasions to meet and when we do, we just focus on the task at hand. I’m not really getting to know him, and he certainly isn’t getting to know me. But, to …

What to do when a mentor blocks your career

Herminia Ibarra Leadership The Financial Times

Too many bosses are failing to pull up the promising people below, says Herminia Ibarra “You have to kill the mentor,” said one of my students. A murmur of agreement went round my executive MBAs class. We were discussing the case of a 39-year-old manager who had been promised a big promotion by his mentor but the new post was …