Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld
Businesses Staying in Russia Are Underperforming the Market
A new analysis from Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team suggests that the firms cutting ties with Russia are seeing markedly better shareholder returns.
Some of the Biggest Brands Are Leaving Russia. Others Just Can’t Quit Putin.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team have been tracking which companies have withdrawn from Russia, which are making partial moves, and which are staying put.
Why the Business Retreat from Russia Matters
Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that companies’ moves to disengage from Russia can make a difference, pointing to the withdrawal of businesses from apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.
Temporary CEOs Can Introduce Permanent Problems
Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that putting off a leadership transition is usually the consequence of governance failures—and can have negative repercussions long after a permanent leader is installed.
Office Romance Policies Aren’t Working
Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and author Joanne Lipman write that Jeff Zucker's departure from CNN illustrates the inconsistency and ambiguity of corporate policies on workplace relationships.
A Year Later, Most CEOs Are Keeping Their Post-Insurrection Promises
Recent news stories have asserted that corporate leaders are reneging on their pledges to withhold contributions to members of Congress who voted against certifying election results on January 6, 2021. But Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who hosted one of the meetings where those pledges were made, writes that CEOs remain deeply troubled by threats to democracy, and that campaign records show that most corporate PACs aren't giving to election objectors.
GE’s Split Unravels a Massive Management Mistake
General Electric CEO Larry Culp announced this week that the company would split into three separate firms. Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that Culp was acknowledging the failure of an approach—the highly diversified industrial conglomerate—that dates back to Jack Welch’s tenure in the 1980s.
No, Machiavelli Did Not Say It’s Better to Be Feared Than Loved
The leadership lesson attributed to Machiavelli’s The Prince is one of many truisms that are frequently distorted for ideological purposes, writes Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Such distortions can lead to flawed decision-making in the boardroom, according to Sonnenfeld.
How Leaders Can Fend Off Unwanted Email Introductions
Leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers advice for CEOs who are repeatedly ambushed by former associates playing online matchmaker.
Soaring COVID Rates in the South Show Why We Need Vaccine Mandates
The data shows that low vaccination rates in southern states are leading to thousands of needless deaths, write Albert Ko of the Yale School of Public Health and Anjani Jain and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale SOM.