courage - Publications - Faculty & Research

25 Apr 2023
Op-Ed

How SHEIN and Temu Conquered Fast Fashion—and Forged a New Business Model

reviews gave American shoppers the courage to venture beyond the safe harbors of retail mass merchants. The success of Amazon, Shopify, and social commerce sites such as Instagram convinced consumers to move much of their purchasing power... View Details

Keywords: by John Deighton; Fashion; Retail; Consumer Products

14 Feb 2022
Research & Ideas

Curiosity, Not Coding: 6 Skills Leaders Need in the Digital Age

up for coding or data analytics classes to acquire expertise but, more important, to show their teams that they too must become life-long technology learners. 4. Be courageous Leaders need to learn to experiment, iterate, and pivot... View Details

Keywords: by Linda A. Hill, Ann Le Cam, Sunand Menon, and Emily Tedards; Technology

11 Jun 2024
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2024

As the vacation season looms, Harvard Business School faculty members share recommendations for a little light reading. Spoiler alert: Lessons in Chemistry tops two of their beach-read lists. For those whose brains can’t—or won’t—turn off, HBS faculty also suggest some... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

17 Dec 2012
Research & Ideas

Teaming in the Twenty-First Century

safety is not about being nice; it's not about letting people off easy and being comfortable," Edmondson stresses. "It's about the courage to be direct and holding high expectations of each other, understanding that uncertainty and risk... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

Research Summary

Energy, IT, real estate, and sustainability

By: Rebecca M. Henderson

Professor Henderson’s current research focuses on the energy, information technology, and real estate sectors and the challenges firms encounter as they attempt to act in more sustainable ways. This work is an outgrowth of her decade-long examination of the... View Details

17 Aug 2020
Research & Ideas

What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership

serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference”). Therapy techniques such as radical acceptance similarly emphasize the point of letting go of desires and beliefs about... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams

Program

Ascending the Peak: Finding the Leader Within—Virtual

Summary Today's organizations need men and women who can lead with courage and conviction through challenging times and toward worthy, positive change. Each session of this live online program will explore the tools, behaviors, insights,... View Details

2013
Book

What You're Really Meant To Do: A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential

By: Robert Steven Kaplan

How do you create your own definition of success—and reach your unique potential? Building a fulfilling life and career can be a daunting challenge. It takes courage and hard work. Too often, we charge down a path leading to "success" as defined by those around us—and... View Details

Keywords: Career Planning; Vocational Guidance; Job Satisfaction; Satisfaction; Personal Development and Career; Customization and Personalization

Citation

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23 Jul 2001
Research & Ideas

Sam Walton: Great From the Start

and astute). The real explanation for his success was that he had the courage of his convictions. Butler Brothers had a training program for variety store franchisees, so Walton was off to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, for two weeks of education... View Details

Keywords: by Richard S. Tedlow; Retail

01 May 2013
What Do You Think?

Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?

Several commented that SL requires qualities that are all too rare, such as "cardinal virtues" (Katherina Lange), a "paradoxical combination of courage AND humility," (Lisa Slayton), "(a) high degree of self... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

26 Aug 2002
Research & Ideas

High-Stakes Decision Making: The Lessons of Mount Everest

must be aware of the dangers of over-commitment to a flawed course of action, particularly after employees have expended a great deal of time, money, and effort. The ability to "cut your losses" remains a difficult challenge as well as a hallmark of View Details

Keywords: by Michael A. Roberto

16 Nov 2016
Research & Ideas

Turning One Thousand Customers into One Million

achieve more success in the future. Failure to do so at the right moment may result in a strong reduction in the momentum of the company. By contrast, having the courage to change in favor of new marketing strategies can help a company... View Details

Keywords: by Thales S. Teixeira and Michael Blanding; Retail; Transportation; Accommodations

Web

Welcome to HBS - MBA

takes humility to listen rather than speak, to be able to change your mind, to change your course of action. We know it takes empathy and courage to stand up and make decisions that will positively impact humanity—whether that’s your... View Details

Web

About - Entrepreneurship

startups. We invite all emerging entrepreneurs who are not averse to risk, who live comfortably with ambiguity, and have the courage and conviction to realize their vision for the future. In other words, we launch the people who launch.... View Details

09 Nov 2023
Blog Post

The No. 1 Character Trait You Will Need to Succeed in Business

decisions that had them poised over an abyss of uncertainty. Without exception, they all had to confront their fears and use courage to take a leap of faith toward what they believed was the right decision on the other side. To paraphrase... View Details

Portrait Project

Nikita Ramanujam

watched her courageous smile during recess, forming meaningful connections with her classmates. And I watched her eagerly teach younger students anytime she could help. I saw her brilliance. I’ll continue to seek out the brilliance in... View Details

17 Nov 2023
Blog Post

HBS Veteran Spotlight: Rex Willis (MBA 2024)

On Veterans Day, we take a moment to honor the courageous individuals who have served in the armed forces. Today, we hear from Rex Willis (MBA 2024), an active-duty officer in the US Navy and an MBA student at HBS. Join us as we explore... View Details

11 Feb 2002
Research & Ideas

The Quiet Leader—and How to Be One

everybody to do it. You have the famous example of Rosa Parks, saying, "I'm not sitting in the back of the bus." Well, while that was a remarkable act of courage on her part, and in some degree was kind of a spontaneous event,... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Feb 2001
News

What Makes a Good Leader

His courage in the face of adversity was inspirational." Of course, knowing your audience is also essential. "Great communicators have an appreciation for positioning," states John Kotter. "They understand the people they're trying to... View Details

Keywords: Management

14 Feb 2023
HBS Case

Is Sweden Still 'Sweden'? A Liberal Utopia Grapples with an Identity Crisis

successful for liberal and moderate governments—not in spite of one of the highest tax levels in western Europe and Scandinavia, but because of it, Spar says. (As a former prime minister said, “Entrepreneurs have the courage to jump”... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

Publications