{"title":"FUTURE LEADERS OR FORTUNATE ELITES? RETHINKING LEADER DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND BEYOND","authors":"Aaron L. Pomerantz, Ryan P. Brown","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20892","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The authors (Pomerantz, the Doerr Institute’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow) and Brown (Managing Director for Measurement and Associate Director at the Doerr Institute for New Leaders) discuss leadership development in higher education, and its relationship to traditional (and somewhat controversial and contested) published college rankings. This affects not only the higher education institutions, but its students and prospective students, who need accurate information about the schools they might want to attend. They write that “the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, based at Rice University (and the place where both authors work) has been dedicated to developing students in a way that doesn’t just teach leadership theories or train students in specific leadership skills, but that changes <i>who</i> those students are and <i>how</i> they see themselves—developing the identity, self-awareness, and self-efficacy necessary to lead.” In addition, the “Institute partnered with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education to create the Leadership for Public Purpose (or LPP) elective classification.” They stress that the LPP is not a ranking, which makes it unique. They conclude that “Our collective vision of leadership and how we develop leaders will determine whether the leaders we <i>need</i> are the leaders we <i>have</i>.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"72-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: MAXIMIZING IMPACT THROUGH DISTINCTIVE VOICE AND AUTHORITATIVE POINTS OF VIEW","authors":"Cindy W. Anderson, Anthony Marshall","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20903","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The authors, leaders at the IBM Institute for Business Value, write about thought leadership, an often-misunderstood subject. Their article is based on their research, including determining the return on investment. They note that many executives spend a considerable amount of time consuming this type of content, such as “research reports, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, or podcasts.” Not only is the topic often misunderstood, it is rarely defined precisely. “In its broadest sense,” they write, “thought leadership content is defined as distinctive, evidence-based intelligence that gives leaders the insights they need to make better decisions—and the inspiration to take action.” Even if the terminology has only become used in the past few decades, the practice is older. They note that the consultancy McKinsey and Company “has been publishing its <i>McKinsey Quarterly</i> since 1964.” In the authors’ research, executives told them that five attributes in particular helped determine the thought leadership they consumed. In the authors’ words, they are quality, uniqueness, reach, independence, and trust. Along with this, they advocate for executives to also become thought leaders: “With data augmented with your expertise, you can begin authoring thought leadership reports, hosting a podcast or webinar series, writing a book, or speaking at relevant events. You can become a source of trusted intelligence that people feel inspired to follow.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"65-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"DIAGNOSING AND STRATEGICALLY IMPLEMENTING A CHARACTER-BASED CULTURE","authors":"Mary Crossan, Bill Furlong, Corey Crossan","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20898","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20898","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mary Crossan is a Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Strategic Leadership at the Ivey Business School, Western University. Corey Crossan is a research and teaching fellow at The University of Oxford with The Oxford Character Project. Bill Furlong is an executive in residence at the Ivey Business School, and a co-founder with Mary Crossan of Leader Character Associates Inc. They write that “organizations struggle mightily to get their aspirational culture to match their actual culture.” They write about the importance of character, and first “consider four underlying issues that make defining, shaping, measuring, and maintaining an aspirational culture challenging.” In their words, the issues are: 1. Achieving Common Understanding, 2. Shaping Consistent Behavior, 3. Measuring Culture, 4. Top-Down Approaches. An antidote to these four issues is “elevating character alongside competence.” In their words: 1. Common Understanding of Culture, 2. Shaping Culture, 3. Measuring Culture in Real Time, 4. Inside-Out Approach. They “propose three steps to strategically achieve and sustain an aspirational, resilient culture that can withstand the inevitable pressures that arise.” In their words: Step 1—Strategically cultivate awareness of character as the foundation for culture. Step 2—Strategically invest in leader character development to transform behavior that defines culture. Step 3—Strategically embed leader character into organization practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"15-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ltl.20898","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"LEADING ACROSS GENERATIONS: PROMOTING COLLABORATION, INCLUSIVITY, AND RESPECT","authors":"Stefanie Adams","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20899","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The author, a leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and former elected official and educator; writes about how different generations can best co-exist in workplaces, and how leaders can provide optimum leadership in this new reality: “understanding what makes someone the way they are, and the intricacies of generational differences is paramount to fostering an inclusive environment and culture of belonging for all employees.” She provides concise paragraphs describing these generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, plus the span of years for each generation. For efforts in bridging the generation gap, she suggests, in her words: 1. Immerse yourself in things you don’t understand, and when you do, 2. Practice active listening, 3. Become a change agent, 4. Create opportunities for shared experiences. As she writes, “In general, every employee seeks meaning and purpose in the work they do; they want to feel valued, have supportive leaders, and desire professional growth.” Practical suggestions are provided throughout, and she emphasizes two important factors, in her words: 1. We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and 2. Different doesn’t mean wrong. As she concludes, “It’s time to stop trying to ‘fix’ each other; let’s work to understand and connect.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"79-85"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"INSPIRING LEADERS AREN’T BORN, THEY’RE MADE","authors":"Adam Galinsky, Chloe Levin","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20894","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20894","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The authors (Galinsky, a Columbia Business School professor), and Levin (research associate at Columbia University specializing in the dynamics of power and status), write about “three insights about leadership, and about human nature.” Their research focused on leaders who were inspiring, as well as, on the opposite side, those who were infuriating. In their words, the first insight is that inspiring and infuriating leaders exist on an enduring continuum that is made up of three universal factors. They begin with an anecdote about an airline pilot, Tammie Jo Shults, who captained her passengers to safety in 2018 when the plane’s left engine exploded. “As Tammie Jo Shults illustrates,” the authors write, “an inspiring leader is Visionary, an Exemplar, and a Mentor.” For the second insight, they write “<i>Visionary</i> fulfills the need for meaning and purpose. <i>Exemplar</i> fulfills the need for protection and passion. <i>Mentor</i> fulfills the need for belonging and status.“For insight three, as to the longstanding question of whether leaders are born or made: they write that ”this universal set of inspiring behaviors can be taught, developed, and nurtured.” “To be visionary,” they write, “you need to a) craft a big picture, values-based, optimistic vision of the future, b) simplify and visualize into its core and c) repeat it again and again.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"33-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"THE FOUR PATHS FOR ADVANCING WOMEN ON CORPORATE BOARDS","authors":"Jovina Ang","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20900","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20900","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Singapore-based author is Managing Director of Communicatio, a privately held consultancy, and a longtime corporate executive. She writes about how women can have a greater presence on corporate boards of directors. She notes the crucial nature of sponsorship, and writes: “Sponsorship occurs when there is a more powerful and influential leader who is willing to invest and spend their political capital for a younger talented leader to progress ahead.” The importance of sponsorship programs is also stressed, with examples such as Deutsche Bank’s ATLAS program. She says the acronym stands for “Accomplished Top Leaders Advancement Strategy.” She describes her involvement with BoardAgender, “an initiative that was launched in March 2011 by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organization.” She describes in detail four paths to the boardroom: becoming a Chief Executive Officer/CEO; the skills-based path; Towkay’s Daughter; and recognized expert. Within path 1, an example is “Tan Su Shan, who became the first female CEO of DBS Bank in March 2025.” From path 2, Tan Yee Peng, a former partner at KPMG; in path 3, Chew Gek Khim, a “successful businesswoman, a chairman of two boards, and an independent director of multiple boards in Singapore and abroad.” In path 4, Jessica Tan, a “technology veteran who had stellar careers at IBM and Microsoft.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"40-45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"LEADERS FACE MAJOR ETHICAL QUESTIONS ON AI—AND THE ANSWERS THEY COME UP WITH MATTER","authors":"Tom Kirkham","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20901","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20901","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The author, CEO and founder of Kirkham IronTech, writes about the responsibility of executives to prioritize data security within their organizations, especially in our still-new age of generative artificial intelligence. “In recent years,” he writes, “AI has shifted from being a futuristic novelty toy to an essential tool for teams and individuals.” He discusses AI tools such as ChatGPT that have become known and widely used since 2022, but also companies that are less familiar to leaders beyond the tech industry, such as Dataiku, BigID, and Polygraf AI. The concept of ethics comes into play when executives make decisions about how to receive, store, and send out data, as he notes the “often-overlooked ethical responsibility for senior leaders, a responsibility to ensure that their organizations adopt AI in a way that respects privacy, maintains security, and protects both employees and customers/end users.” All of this relates to his own executive work, as he founded the firm twenty five years ago “to help leaders improve Information Technology/IT processes, improve the customer experience, and reduce or eliminate the costs associated with managing and training internal personnel for IT management and cyber defense.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"92-97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CENTERING EMPLOYEE VOICES: A TRANFORMATIVE APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY","authors":"Angela Jackson","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20890","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20890","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The author, a Harvard lecturer and founder of Future Forward Strategies, writes about her concept of “centering employee voices,” the roots of which go back to her childhood observing the management treatment of her grandfather in an auto manufacturing plant. His suggestions for workplace improvements and efficiencies were not sought by management, and the author contends that the same thing plays out in organizations today. “Beyond retention,” she writes, “the implications of centering employee voices extend to innovation.” She provides a number of practical strategies that leaders can implement; which in her words are: Implement Pulse Surveys for Real-Time Feedback; Leverage Cross-Training to Broaden Expertise and Perspective; Build Psychological Safety to Encourage Feedback; Embed Employee Voice in Strategic Decision-Making; and Monitor and Measure Impact. She presents the “Win-Win Workplace Framework,” in her words: 1. Centering employee voices; 2. Cultivating Mutualistic Working Relationships; 3. Implementing Intersectional Inclusion Strategies; 4. Reimagining Employee Benefits; 5. Frontline Leader-Driven Strategies; 6. Hiring STARs vs. Prioritizing Credentials; 7. Developing Deep Talent Benches; 8. Using Human-Capital Reporting as a Competitive Strategy; 9. Distributed Leadership-Entrepreneurial Structures. As she concludes, <b>“</b>Centering employee voices isn’t a soft skill; it’s a strategic advantage.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"7-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"HARNESSING THE POWER OF INCLUSION","authors":"Sarah McArthur","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20905","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20905","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The author, <i>Leader to Leader’s</i> editor-in-chief, begins by discussing the career deliberations she worked through after graduating from college. After relating her decision making during that period, she notes that “since that time I have focused on leadership and communication, especially that focused in the direction of a positive future for all, which of course is dependent on including all of the stakeholders.” In further discussing the inclusion theme in this article, she writes that it “opens the door to our “Working Together” to create value and growth for all the stakeholders and the greater good, which I welcome you to read more about in our article in this issue about people working together to design and build the Boeing 777 in the early 1990s.” She also explains that “the 777 is the first digitally designed and digitally premanufactured commercial jet.” In addition, it is the “long-range pioneer and largest twin jet airplane, designed as such so as to replace three- and four-engine jets and thus continue progress toward more environmentally sustainable airplanes.” Furthermore, it “was created because of, not in spite of, a focus on inclusion, on working together.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"4-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"THE ERA OF THE CRISIS CEO: LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAINITY","authors":"Bill Canady","doi":"10.1002/ltl.20897","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20897","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The author is Chairman of OTC Industrial Technologies and CEO of Arrowhead Engineered Products (AEP), and a U.S. Navy veteran. He notes that while leadership across the sectors has always been uncertain, today it “demands a heightened level of adaptability, clarity, and decisiveness.” The Crisis CEO develops a “keen ability to cut through the fog of ambiguity and focus on the essential few actions that will generate the greatest impact.” After giving a brief description of McDonald’s corporate reinvention after 2014, he describes a model he developed, the Profitable Growth Operating System (PGOS). He contends this “organizes leadership into four interconnected pillars: Profit, Growth, Operations, and Strategy.” He demonstrates how these factors were applied in a family-owned business facing a major crisis. Yet within 18 months, it was turned around and thrived. After other business-oriented case studies, he also shows the applicability for not just corporate CEOs, but leaders in nonprofits, education, and government. As he writes: “Civil leaders must navigate an increasingly polarized political landscape, economic challenges, and global geopolitical tensions. Tools like PGOS can help focus limited resources on the most critical issues, from climate change policies to economic recovery efforts, ensuring that the most pressing public needs are addressed with efficiency and foresight.”</p>","PeriodicalId":100872,"journal":{"name":"Leader to Leader","volume":"2025 117","pages":"86-91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144289282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}