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Leadership

The Lessons from Pope Francis for the Class of 2025‌

Yale SOM leadership expert Jeffrey Sonnenfeld reflects on what the next generation of leaders can learn from the late pope. ‌

Pope Francis greeting a crowd in St. Peter’s Square
  • 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
  • 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
  • Remembering Oz Nelson, Who Reinvented UPS

    In the 1990s, Nelson modernized the shipping company and gave it a new focus on the customer. Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld remembers the former CEO, who died on April 6.

    Oz Nelson in his office
  • How Disney’s Bob Iger Outmaneuvered Ron DeSantis

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld writes that Iger offered a master class in standing up to bullies when he undercut the Florida governor’s attempt to impose new oversight on Walt Disney World.

    Robert Iger with Mickey Mouse at an event
  • Why Accountability Needs an Upgrade

    In an excerpt from their new book, Conscious Accountability, Yale SOM’s David Tate and his co-authors Marianne Pantalon and Daryn David argue for looking beyond blame and punishment and embracing a form of accountability based on clear communication and mutual trust.

    A trapeze artist balancing on the head of another trapeze artist
  • 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.

    Nelson Peltz pointing at the camera
  • 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.

    The Enagas regasification plant at Barcelona’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal. 
  • 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.

    A vintage image of a person looking through a telescope
  • 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.

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the 2022 World Economic Forum.