Getting taken seriously as a new manager is challenging for anyone. You can go from being friends with your peers to suddenly being their boss. It’s easy to make missteps, like playing the part too much—acting the way you think a manager is supposed to act. On the other hand, you may feel you have nothing to offer your direct reports, some of whom may have more experience than you. You may even fall back too much on what you already know well. These are common challenges in anyone’s first rodeo as a manager. But bias can make overcoming them especially difficult for women.

In this 2023 episode of Women at Work, as part of the “How to Manage” series, McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee discusses these challenges—and how to overcome them—with host Amy Bernstein and former HBR editor Kelsey Alpaio.

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, management, personal growth, resilience, communication, gender

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Being Taken Seriously
• Find more episodes of Women at Work

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In the early 20th century, Helena Rubinstein defied gender, class, and cultural expectations to become one of the first pioneers of the modern beauty industry. Today, her namesake luxury cosmetics brand is worth more than one billion dollars. Harvard Business School professor Geoff Jones wrote a case study about the visionary leader. He explored her journey—and the lasting impact she made on global beauty standards—on Cold Call in 2019 with host Brian Kenny.

Key episode topics include: gender, leadership, feminism, beauty industry, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial business strategy, marketing

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Cold Call episode: How Helena Rubinstein Used Tall Tales to Turn Cosmetics into a Luxury Brand
• Find more episodes of Cold Call.
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

A CEO's involvement in B2B sales deals, while often well-intentioned, can sometimes backfire.

INSEAD marketing professor Christoph Senn has spent years studying the role top leaders play in B2B relationships. In this episode, he shares the five archetypes of CEO behavior when it comes to sales, which ones are the most effective in closing a deal, and where they fall short.

You’ll learn what to do if your CEO is either overly involved—or not involved enough—in deals, and why knowing your CEO’s archetype can be helpful.

Senn is the coauthor, with Columbia Business School's Noel Capon, of the HBR article "When CEOs Make Sales Calls."

Key episode topics include: managing up, sales team management, client management, sales, leadership qualities, interpersonal communication,

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: How CEOs Can Drive Sales — or Kill Deals

· Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

The best leaders know that a person’s skillset and their willingness to learn are more important than the degree they have. Ginni Rometty, former Chairman and CEO of IBM, understands this deeply. She spearheaded a company-wide shift to skills-based hiring and development during her tenure.

In this episode, Rometty’shares how her mother’s commitment to education helped her family overcome adversity and inspired her personal approach to talent management. She also discusses why a skills-first mindset is critical to building resilient teams and organizations.

Key episode topics include: upskilling, continuous learning, personal growth, organizational culture, talent development, hiring and recruitment, talent management, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: IBM’s Ginni Rometty on Skill-Building and Success

· Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

If you’re a leader or aspire to be one, you’ve probably thought about how you project confidence and competence—or, what some call your executive presence. It’s as much a vibe you give off as it is a skill you can develop. And it’s important to exhibit if you want to assure others you’re ready to lead. 

Megan Bock, the COO of an insurance technology company, has mastered executive presence. And Laura Sicola is a cognitive linguist who coaches executives. In this episode, Bock and Sciola discuss the key elements of executive presence and offer advice to a listener who's trying to develop it while working remotely. 

Key episode topics include: public speaking, leadership qualities, gender, personal growth, remote work, leadership

HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original Women at Work episode: The Essentials: Executive Presence
• Find more episodes of Women at Work
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

In December 2020, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and his leadership team were deciding whether or not to commit to recruiting, hiring, training, and advancing one million Black Americans into stable, well-paid jobs over the next decade, as part of the OneTen coalition. But if Delta joined, Bastian faced a key challenge: how could he make the airline truly inclusive and create systemically equal access to career opportunities?

In this episode from 2023, Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill explains how Bastian shifted Delta’s talent architecture to prioritize skills over four-year degrees and how he created new apprenticeship programs to recruit entry-level employees.

Hill studied Bastian’s efforts to transform Delta for a case study. She also explains why Bastian prioritized front-line employees for internal promotions, instead of recruiting new talent externally.

Key episode topics include: leadership, hiring and recruitment, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, airline industry, talent, recruiting, career.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original Cold Call episode: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines (2023)

· Find more episodes of Cold Call

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

How does critical feedback affect your team’s success? Researchers Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall argue that many managers invest too much energy in correcting weaknesses. Instead, they encourage leaders to focus on developing employees’ strengths.

Buckingham and Goodall are the authors of the book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World and the HBR article “The Feedback Fallacy” In this episode, they explain how to lead more effective conversations about performance by focusing on what your team members do best.

Key episode topics include leadership, giving feedback, managing people, performance indicators.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: What Managers Get Wrong About Feedback (2019)

· Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Many people believe that leaders instinctively make the best decisions based on past experience, almost like muscle memory. But Carol Kauffman, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Institute of Coaching, challenges this view. She explains why falling back on automatic behaviors can lead to poor decisions, especially when the stakes are high.

In this episode, Kauffman outlines her framework for sound decision-making in high-pressure situations. She also shares real-life stories of leaders she has coached through difficult decisions and offers insights into how to navigate high-stakes challenges effectively.

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership styles, strategy, decision making and problem solving.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Leaders Should Rethink Their Decision-Making Process (2023)

· Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast.

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

When Jason Buechel became CEO of Whole Foods in 2022, he faced the challenge of succeeding cofounder John Mackey, who led the company for over 40 years. This leadership transition was not only a personal challenge for Buechel but also a significant shift for the entire organization.

In this episode, Buechel tells Harvard Business Review editor in chief Adi Ignatius how he addressed employees' concerns while preserving Whole Foods’ culture and core values. He also discusses his focus on internal leadership and strategies for supporting the company’s ongoing growth.

Key episode topics include: leadership, careers, leadership transitions, succession planning, Whole Foods, authenticity, culture.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· View to the original New World of Work episode: Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel on the Challenges and Opportunities of Following a Visionary Leader (2023)

· Find more episodes of the New World of Work

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org

Are you struggling to manage people who are older than you?

Lindsey Pollak explains that cross-generational dynamics in the workplace are becoming increasingly complex, driven by rapid technological advancements and longer career spans.

As a workplace expert and author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, Pollak addresses listener questions about motivating older direct reports and engaging senior employees who may be skeptical about new technology. She also offers practical advice for navigating situations where you've been promoted ahead of more experienced colleagues.

Key episode topics include: leadership, business communication, motivating people, age and generational issues, leading teams, leading across difference.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the original Dear HBR episode: Managing Older Workers (2019)

· Find more episodes of Dear HBR.

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.