Why Great Leaders Focus on the Details
22 Dec 2025
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Conventional wisdom says CEOs should focus on big picture strategy questions and not worry about the details of execution. But Scott Cook, cofounder of Intuit, says sometimes CEOs need to sweat the small stuff.

Listen to the full IdeaCast episode here: https://s.hbr.org/49a2aG0

Why Great Leaders Focus on the Details 22 Dec 2025 --- Conventional wisdom says CEOs should focus on big picture strategy questions and not worry about the details of execution. But Scott Cook, cofounder of Intuit, says sometimes CEOs need to sweat the small stuff. Listen to the full IdeaCast episode here: https://s.hbr.org/49a2aG0

Why Great Leaders Focus on the Details

At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. We try to arm our readers with ideas that help them become smarter, more creative, and more courageous in their work. 

We encourage comments, critiques, and questions. We expect our community to be a safe space for respectful, constructive, and thought-provoking discussion. We reserve the right to remove or turn off comments at our discretion. We do not tolerate bullying, name-calling, or abusive language related to identity, including race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, age, or region; spam; copyright violation; extreme profanity; or p*rnography.

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At Harvard Business Review, we believe in management. If the world’s organizations and institutions were run more effectively, if our leaders made better decisions, if people worked more productively, we believe that all of us — employees, bosses, customers, our families, and the people our businesses affect — would be better off. We try to arm our readers with ideas that help them become smarter, more creative, and more courageous in their work. We encourage comments, critiques, and questions. We expect our community to be a safe space for respectful, constructive, and thought-provoking discussion. We reserve the right to remove or turn off comments at our discretion. We do not tolerate bullying, name-calling, or abusive language related to identity, including race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, age, or region; spam; copyright violation; extreme profanity; or p*rnography.

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Why Great Leaders Focus on the Details

Why Great Leaders Focus on the Details