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Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld

  • CEOs Need More Face Time, Not FaceTime

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld explains how effective business leaders make the best use of face-to-face meetings with employees around the world.

    A business jet on a runway at twilight
  • Speaker Mike Johnson’s ‘Profiles in Courage’ Moment

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that the House Speaker displayed rare courage in learning on the job and defying extremists in his own party—and draw historical parallels to an ideological conversion that changed the course of the Cold War.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking to the press, in a wide image from behind
  • Who Is the Leader to Put Boeing Back on Course?

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a longtime observer of the company, and co-author Steven Tian consider five likely candidates to succeed CEO Dave Calhoun, who will step down at the end of the year.

    A plane over a runway
  • What Bob Iger’s Critics Get Wrong about His Performance at Disney

    Disney is embroiled in a proxy fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz ahead of its annual shareholder meeting next week. Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that Peltz and other critics of CEO Bob Iger are relying on a series of myths that don’t hold up to scrutiny.

    Bob Iger
  • Better Sanctions Can Weaken Russia

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who has helped lead the movement to isolate Russia, and co-author Steven Tian write that the current sanctions regime is spottily enforced and ignores key commodities exports. They suggest three steps policymakers should take to give economic sanctions real bite.

    An aerial view of a stack of timber
  • A Divided America Emboldens Putin’s Aggression

    Alexei Navalny’s death is another sign that Russia is testing the limits of the West—and the U.S. is failing that test, write Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian.

    A protester holding a poster of Alexei Navalny's face
  • What the U.S. Has to Gain from Supporting Ukraine

    Prof. Jeffrey Sonnnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that spending on weapons and aid boosts the U.S. economy, strengthens the NATO alliance, and weakens the Russian war machine.

    Supporters of aid for Ukraine outside the U.S. Capitol on February 11. 
  • How Connecticut Elevated Its Business Climate

    Connecticut turned itself into a destination for new businesses by prioritizing business development and inviting input and help from the private sector, write Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and three other leaders of AdvanceCT, the state’s business attraction and retention engine.

    The Connecticut state capitol and the Hartford skyline
  • How Boeing Can Restore Trust

    The blowout of a door plug on an Alaska Air 737 MAX 9 earlier this month is just the latest incident casting doubt on the safety culture of the aerospace giant. Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a longtime observer of Boeing, and co-author Steven Tian offer a series of steps to rebuild its internal processes and win back the trust of airlines and the public.

    An airplane fuselage with plastic sheeting over an opening
  • Triumph and Disaster: The Best and Worst CEOs of 2023

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian highlight the three best- and worst-performing CEOs of 2023—and hint at what’s ahead for each of them in the new year.

    Marc Benioff speaking