Leadership
What I Learned Debating Vivek Ramaswamy
Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who has tangled on cable news with the entrepreneur turned GOP candidate, says the key is to avoid following him down diversionary rabbit holes.

Activist Investor Nelson Peltz’s Track Record Doesn’t Back Up His Bluster
Peltz, the founding partner of Trian Fund Management, is demanding a seat on Disney’s board. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian found that more than half of the companies with Peltz on their boards have underperformed the market.
The U.S. Has Thwarted Putin’s Energy Blackmail
Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian write that the Biden administration’s balanced approach has helped Europe maintain its natural gas supply while protecting U.S. interests.
Smarter Ways to Look Ahead: Research-Based Suggestions for a Better 2023
We asked faculty from the Yale School of Management to put a scholarly lens on improving our personal and professional lives in the coming year.
The CEOs Who Succeeded and Stumbled in 2022
Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stevan Tian name five corporate leaders whose accomplishments stood out this year—and five who led their enterprises into rough waters.
Return to the Kingdom: Inside Robert Iger’s Restoration at Disney
Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld provides an insider’s perspective on the move.
The Thinker at the Pentagon
Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld remembers Ashton Carter, the scholar and diplomat who served as secretary of defense in the Obama administration.
Lessons on the Role of Business in Society, from a Timber Baron
Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld remembers George Weyerhaeuser, who led his family’s timber business for decades. He died earlier this year at 95.
CEOs Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Politicians Who Cry ‘Woke’
Stakeholder capitalism is not new, argues Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. Despite political backlash against “woke” CEOS, today’s leaders need to account for the broad strategic environment in which their companies operate.
Are the Companies That Promised Withdrawal from Russia Following Through?
In some cases, those pledges have not been fully honored, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld’s team has found. He writes that boards play a key oversight role in ensuring that companies genuinely end their exposure.
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 Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team have been tracking which companies have withdrawn from Russia, which are making partial moves, and which are staying put.