/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In March of 2009, I sat down for a cross-country flight and jotted down a few thoughts on effective leadership in crisis&amp;#8212;given the economic turmoil the country plunged into only months before, it seemed an unfortunate, but appropriate, issue to ponder. Those airplane napkin notes soon morphed into a &lt;em&gt;Wall Street J&lt;/em&gt;ournal article, which later expanded into my latest book &lt;em&gt;7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;More than a prescriptive business how-to guide, &lt;em&gt;7 Lessons&lt;/em&gt; is the culmination of business concepts I&amp;#8217;ve learned (and re-learned) throughout my career at Litton, Honeywell, and Medtronic, as well as the time I&amp;#8217;ve spent as a director of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, Novartis, Target and a professor at the Harvard Business School (HBS). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;I chose to write &lt;em&gt;7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis&lt;/em&gt; not only because it was (and is) particularly timely given the recession, but also because I feel it is imperative that we study leadership (both good and bad) as it plays out &amp;#8220;under fire.&amp;#8221; It&amp;#8217;s quite easy to be a measured, good-natured, principled, and strategic leader in smooth sailing, but reputations are made in the depth of crisis. I want to ensure that the next generation of leaders, like those students of mine at HBS, clearly understand that concept and grasp the inherent vulnerability they face as leaders in crisis. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Furthermore, I wanted to set the record of the economic collapse straight. The economic calamity of 2008-09 was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or even excessive greed&amp;#8212;the root cause of the problem was failed leadership. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;I want young leaders to see examples of distinctive leaders&amp;#8212;like Anne Mulcahy at Xerox, Greg Steinhafel at Target, Indra Nooyi at Pepsi and Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway&amp;#8212;and learn why leaders like Chuck Prince at Citigroup, Martin Sullivan at AIG, and Richard Fuld at Lehman Brothers failed. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;********&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;At the end of the day, leaders are boiled down to what they &amp;#8220;do,&amp;#8221; and what they &amp;#8220;don&amp;#8217;t do.&amp;#8221; In 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis I&amp;#8217;ve pored over case studies and my own first-hand experience to define those &amp;#8220;do&amp;#8217;s&amp;#8221; and &amp;#8220;don&amp;#8217;ts.&amp;#8221; And while I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy, here a few leadership tips to hopefully help you through the next crisis. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t point fingers when you are to blame. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t try to go it alone &amp;#8211; you will fail. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t go for the quick fix. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t forget the media &amp;#8211; they hang on every word. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t shy away from opportunity &amp;#8211; come out swinging. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t be afraid to change your leadership style. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Don&amp;#8217;t ever, ever waste a good crisis - it is your opportunity to change your company for the better &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do get behind the podium and inspire your company back to profitability. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do get down in the weeds with your managers and work the problem. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do focus on long-term viability rather than short-term profits. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do be forthright in acknowledging fault. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do encourage a culture of candidness. Do call on trusted mentors when you need a fresh perspective. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Do keep a close eye on the balance sheet (in crisis, cash is king). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Simply, lead with every intention of having an aggressively positive impact on your company, employees, and customers. Crisis or not. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bill George is professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and author of&lt;/em&gt; 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;True North &lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt; Authentic Leadership&lt;em&gt;. The former chair and CEO of Medtronic, he currently serves on the boards of ExxonMobil and Goldman Sachs and previously, Novartis and Target. Bill will be an introductory speaker at the October 6th - 7th World Business Forum at New York&amp;#8217;s Radio City Music Hall.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Read more at BillGeorge.org, or follow him on Twitter @Bill_George.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Aman Singh Das

Article

7 Fast-Growing ESG Career Paths to Consider

A Day in the Life of a 20-Something Social Sector Entrepreneur

What to Consider When Choosing a Volunteer Position

Will Pulling out of the Paris Agreement Create Energy Jobs?

The Library

Guest Blog: An Airplane Napkin Manifesto

In March of 2009, I sat down for a cross-country flight and jotted down a few thoughts on effective leadership in crisis—given the economic turmoil the country plunged into only months before, it seemed an unfortunate, but appropriate, issue to ponder. Those airplane napkin notes soon morphed into a Wall Street Journal article, which later expanded into my latest book 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis.More than a prescriptive business how-to guide, 7 Lessons is the culmination of business concepts I’ve learned (and re-learned) throughout my career at Litton, Honeywell, and Medtronic, as well as the time I’ve spent as a director of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, Novartis, Target and a professor at the Harvard Business School (HBS).

Guest Blog: An Airplane Napkin Manifesto | Career Advice - Vault

Vault by Infobase

Guest Blog: An Airplane Napkin Manifesto

Employers

Schools

Vault Gold

Careers

Blog

Vault Law

Contact Us

Help Center