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Leadership

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
  • How Peace and Prosperity in the Middle East Can Still Be Reached

    Paradoxically, the invasion of Israel could could help accelerate progress toward regional peace, write Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, diplomat Dennis Ross, and investor Adam Boehler, former CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

    A satellite image of the eastern Mediterranean
  • The Budget Deal Is a Tragedy for Ukraine

    With hours to go before a government shutdown, Congress passed a short-term spending bill—but the deal came at the cost of aid for Ukraine. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that even if a separate funding bill eventually passes, the move weakens the coalition against Russia.

    Abrams tanks
  • What Awaits Ukraine Once the War Ends? Prosperity, For One Thing

    Once freed from Russian aggression, Ukraine will thrive, argues Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld.

    Prof. Sonnenfeld visits students at the Kyiv School of Economics
  • 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.

    Vivek Ramaswamy and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box in October 2022.
  • Reinventing the Way We Work—Again

    The pandemic changed where we work and how we work, how we think about the place of work in our lives and vice versa—all against a backdrop of rapid technological change, economic upheaval, and a reckoning with racism. We talked with Yale SOM's Heidi Brooks about how to have necessary conversations about a new experience of work.

    An illustration of shapes trying to get into an office through holes that are don't match
  • Horatio Alger Is a Hoax, But We Can Still Celebrate the American Dream

    Horatio Alger, the 19th-century writer whose name became shorthand for self-improvement, is in the news because of Justice Clarence Thomas’s connection to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. But Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld says that Alger’s story says more about mythmaking than it does about the American dream.

    An illustration of Horatio Alger with his characters standing on top of copies of his books
  • How Putin Cannibalizes the Russian Economy to Fund His War

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian write that the Russian leader is fueling battles in Ukraine by shaking down his own people and leveraging his country’s future.

    Vladimir Putin holding a wine glass
  • We Put Aside the Hype and Asked CEOs What They’re Actually Planning for AI

    The headlines are full of grand and sometimes terrifying speculation about the potential of artificial intelligence. At Yale SOM’s CEO Summit recently, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld asked business leaders for some real talk about how their companies are using the technology.

    An abstract photo of an office building
  • Is It Smart to Be a ‘Stupid Genius’ Like Elon Musk?

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld asks if the CEO’s eccentricities and forgotten promises are undermining his leadership of Twitter, Tesla, and SpaceX.

    Elon Musk carrying a sink through Twitter headquarters
  • Cynicism and Ageism Are Drowning Out Biden’s Accomplishments as He Seeks Second Term

    Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that cynical media coverage and unwarranted concern over Biden’s age have muted the remarkable achievements of his first term.

    President Joe Biden speaking at an event