When Damola Adamolekun worked at the legendary investor John Paulson’s hedge fund Paulson and Company, the firm learned that P.F. Chang’s was up for sale. Adamolekun thought it would be a great investment and pitched it to Paulson, who agreed and, in 2019, bought the chain specializing in Asian fusion cuisine. And everybody ate happily ever after. End of story, right? Not exactly. Adamolekun grew up playing sports, including football at Brown, and was trained on the notion that teammates do whatever it takes to help their team win. So when Paulson and Company took on the task of making a good ..read more

Employees face pervasive challenges to be well. The emergence of hybrid work is affecting quality and quantity of social interactions. Costs of living have increased significantly while real wages have been slow to catch up. Affordability and access to quality health care has been a challenge. Retirement savings may not be enough to maintain adequate living standards. The seemingly sudden and rapid spread of generative AI is causing concerns about job security. Rising geopolitical tensions and climate change are raising sustainability concerns. And they all combine to create high levels of str ..read more

The mythology around workplace loyalty is vast, reflecting – as does all mythology – fear, drama, and a need to explain that which is difficult to explain. Three prevalent myths are that: (1) loyalty in the workplace is one-dimensional; (2) loyalty in the workplace is a weakness, especially for leaders; and (3) employees are not as loyal as they used to be. By fully understanding and exposing these myths, organizational leaders can reveal, and harness, the full power of workplace loyalty. 1. Loyalty is one-dimensional. Philosophers have been debating the concept of loyalty for centuries. Plato ..read more

There are reasons John Roth just got tapped to head the long-sojourning Cadillac division of General Motors. And they might start with what’s happening at a GM parts warehouse in Burton, Michigan. The automaker recently invested $100 million in modernizing its largest aftermarket-parts processing center there, one of the operations Roth has headed until just now as GM’s global vice president of customer care and aftersales. To keep up with booming sales of “original equipment” replacement parts under brands such as AC Delco, Roth spearheaded a worker-friendly, automation-focused overhaul of th ..read more

The banking crisis kicked off by the demise of Silicon Valley Bank opened other crevices, ranging from the creakiness of the global financial system to the riskiness of the Fed’s approach to inflation-fighting to the infirmity of the engine of innovation that has been driven by America’s digital-tech giants for a quarter-century. That means it’s time for CEOs to see beyond the immediate wreckage and imminent new dangers and exercise some of the main muscles of their job: strategic vision, tactical wile and a focus on how to get to a horizon that may look different than it did just a coupl ..read more

I joined Facebook in 2009. I couldn’t resist reconnecting with people from my childhood, grammar and high school, and previous jobs who had become distant memories. Trends emerged immediately. People were shockingly comfortable in this online environment weighing in with their opinions on current events and political issues. You see, I grew up at a time when politics, religion, and money were off-limits. This is no longer the case. I also observed disdain for the younger generation. In my memory, this has always existed. I remember my grandmother saying often, “I hope I’m dead before this gene ..read more

Companies need to leverage every resource and reexamine all aspects of their business to survive and thrive during economic downturns. And that means that even businesses that have, to date, grown organically need to consider seeking the strengths and resources of partners or vendors to help scale innovation and encourage growth during these challenging times. Forming the right partnerships can be a strategic maneuver that may determine a business’s survival or failure. So, what critical factors should business leaders consider as they seek and cultivate lucrative partnership opportunities? Be ..read more

If you had a hunch that the world of commercial cruises was hyper-competitive, you’d find confirmation from industry veteran Tom McAlpin. The former executive of Disney Cruise Lines, and now the CEO of adults-only Virgin Voyages, McAlpin used the same playbook to help design two iconic brand spaces—despite the fact they serve two very different customer bases. How did he do it? By understanding “the gap in their [customer’s] experience,” McAlpin explains. “You have to spend the time and resources to truly know your audience and what matters to them,” he explained in the podcast. “And then you ..read more

As U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal swept through the floor of the Hygrade Precision Technologies plant in a tour on a recent Friday morning, he saw about two dozen familiar faces. Not familiar to him—familiar to one another. And in that fact, the Democrat senator from Connecticut beheld one of the biggest keys to the success of the company in Plainville, Connecticut, that was just named 2023 Small Business Administration Manufacturer of the Year. At a time of when manufacturers are struggling to hold on to key employees, the continuity of Hygrade’s workforce has been crucial. And there are les ..read more

At this moment in history, not only do new CEOs have to figure out the current state of their organization—where it needs to go and how they will get there—but they also have to address a wide array of emerging issues. From pandemics to social justice movements and climate change, there is an onslaught of big issues that CEOs need to address in thoughtful and impactful ways. Based on our experience, we’ve compiled the key pieces of advice every first-time CEO should know to help them hit the ground running. 1) Keep, let go, and learn anew Any transition to a new role requires you to reflect on ..read more