Leadership

Investors are undervaluing promising drug candidates on the horizon for the two pharma giants, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian.

As they ended political endorsements at their respective newspapers, writes Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld , Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong provided a master class in how not to announce and explain a sudden change in direction.

The two-tiered structures, which offer more voting power to some shareholders, are frequently maligned. But Yale SOM leadership and corporate governance expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that they endow companies with a host of advantages, including a better return to investors.‌

We asked Yale SOM faculty for their best tips on living happily, healthily, and productively in the new year.‌

Disturbingly, a vocal fringe has cheered the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, write Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and co-author Steven Tian, but most Americans admire business leaders and see them as a stabilizing force.

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.

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.

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.

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