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Leadership

What Critics of Pfizer Are Getting Wrong

The activist investment firm Starboard Value has launched a proxy fight again Pfizer, questioning the company’s management under CEO Albert Bourla. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that the critics are demonstrating the same impatience that has led investors to underestimate Pfizer in the past.

The Pfizer logo and stock price on a display at the New York Stock Exchange
  • How to Lay People Off with Humanity

    Layoffs may sometimes be necessary, writes Yale SOM’s Emma Seppälä, but they are painful, both for departing employees and those remaining in what can be a demoralized and overworked organization. She offers research-based guidance for making the process more compassionate and less disruptive.

    An illustration of scissors cutting strings holding up office workers with computers
  • CEOs Are More Optimistic about the Economy Than the Rest of Us, and They’re Probably Right

    At Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld’s Yale CEO Caucus last week, the vast majority of the business leaders in attendance said they expect a soft landing. Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian write that the economic indicators back up the CEOs.

    A "Now Hiring" sign in the window of a mall clothing store
  • Is the Era of Shareholder Primacy Over?

    Five years ago, the Business Roundtable released a revised statement of purpose asserting companies exist to create value for all stakeholders, reversing a longstanding focus on maximizing shareholder value. The move got a lot of attention. Did it make a difference?

    AT&T’s annual shareholder meeting at the Anaheim Convention Center in 1975.
  • How to Keep a Workplace Happy in a Divided Political Moment

    Yale SOM’s Heidi Brooks says banning politics from the office will be less effective than focusing on a culture of respect.

    An illustration of people working in an office, some shaded blue and some shaded red
  • Has Starbucks Finally Found the Right Leader?

    For more than two decades, the coffee empire has tried and failed to find a lasting successor to longtime CEO Howard Schultz. Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, with co-authors Steven Tian and Stephen Henriques, provides an insider’s view of the drama and explains why Chipotle’s Brian Nicoll might be the right person for the job.

    A aerial view of Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle
  • Olympic Lessons: Leadership and Fun

    In advance of the Paris 2024 Olympics, we asked Yale SOM faculty for their take on this global sporting event. Are there lessons they draw from the Games, or do they watch just for fun?

    Eiffel Tower with Olympic rings
  • How Leaders Finally Walk Away

    In analyzing President Joseph Biden’s decision not to run for reelection, Yale leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld sees the underlying quest for heroic mission and stature that drives many epoch-shaping leaders—and often makes succession a tricky affair.

    President Joe Biden
  • The Power of Positively Energizing Leadership

    Researchers have found that certain people make everyone around them more productive, writes Yale SOM’s Emma Seppälä. In an excerpt from her new book, she explains how to become a colleague with “positive relational energy.”

    An illustration of a mug in the shape of a woman's head filled with water that birds are drinking
  • How AI Is Already Transforming Fortune 500 Businesses, According to Their CEOs

    At a recent Yale CEO Summit, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld talked to business leaders about the AI tools and other new technologies appearing everywhere from back offices to fast-food kitchens. Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian outline the looming changes in a variety of sectors.

    A Chipotle chef with Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant that makes tortilla chips
  • 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