Great American Business Leaders of the 20th CenturyGreat American Business Leaders of the 20th Century   

Identifying and chronicling the lives of 20th century men and women whose business leadership shaped the ways that people live, work, and interact. And understanding how contextual influences deeply affected the opportunities available for businesses throughout the last century. 

Leadership Initiative 

Leaders have always faced the job of inspiring others while making important decisions with incomplete information. Today's leaders are confronted with challenges and opportunities that have never been more dynamic or complex. We help leaders effectively understand and manage these forces.

Faculty & Research 

Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership

By: Geoffrey Jones
  • 2023
  • | 
  • Book
Corporate social responsibility has entered the mainstream, but what does it take to run a successful purpose-driven business? This book examines leaders who put values alongside profits to showcase...

Making Meritocracy: Lessons from China and India, from Antiquity to the Present

By: Tarun Khanna and Michael Szonyi
  • 2022
  • | 
  • Book
How do societies identify and promote merit? Enabling all people to fulfill their potential, and ensuring the selection of competent and capable leaders are central challenges for any society. These...

Saudi Arabia: A Vision in Progress

By: Kristin Fabbe, Adel Hamaizia and Tom Quinn
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • | 
  • Case
In 2016, when Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a long-range economic and social transformation plan called Vision 2030, he faced Western skepticism about how the oil-rich and religiously conservative country would accomplish its ambitious goals. In 2022, halfway through the...

Accelerating the Accelerator: Raja Al Mazrouei at DIFC Fintech Hive

By: Linda A. Hill, Emily Tedards and Lydia Begag
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • | 
  • Case
In January 2023, Raja Al Mazrouei became the Managing Director and Acting CEO of Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI) in Dubai, UAE. In her previous role as the Executive Vice President of the DIFC Fintech Hive, she successfully built and led an accelerator program for start-ups in the financial...

Moleskine Foundation: Can Creativity Change the World?

By: Ryan Raffaelli, Alexandra C. Feldberg and Sarah Gulick
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • | 
  • Case
The Italy-based Moleskine Foundation worked with young adults in Africa and Europe to inspire social change through art and creative projects. Adama Sanneh, the newly appointed CEO of the Moleskine Foundation, faced several challenges: First, he had to make his own mark on an organization that had...

Germany, Europe, and Green Industrial Revolution

By: Gunnar Trumbull and Jonathan Schlefer
  • FEBRUARY 2023
  • | 
  • Case
In 2023, Germany was racing to master yet another industrial revolution: this time in green technology. Could it transform its manufacturing and industry in time to sustain internationally competitiveness, especially with the United States and China; reach carbon neutrality by 2040; and manage its...

How to Manage for Collective Creativity

Linda Hill
14 Sep 2014

Executive Education 

We offer programs that strengthen the leadership capacity of individuals and their organizations.

MBA Experience 

Students exercise the leadership skills they will practice in business and beyond, and leave with lessons in leadership that are practical, priceless, and most importantly, real.

In the News 

How Leaders Should Leave

By: John Quelch
  • 13 Mar 2023
  • | 
  • HBS Working Knowledge

You’re Now a ‘Manager.’ Forget About Overtime Pay.

Re: Lauren Cohen
  • 06 Mar 2023
  • | 
  • New York Times

When the Need to Please Holds Women Managers Back

Re: Alexandra Feldberg
  • 03 Mar 2023
  • | 
  • HBS Working Knowledge

Test Your Leadership Skills

Strategic Management

Rate yourself to discover resources to improve your strategic management skills.
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Develops distinctive strategies to achieve competitive advantage
Translates broad strategies into specific objectives and action plans
Defines strategic issues clearly despite ambiguity
Aligns the organization to support strategic priorities
Initiatives focus on societal challenges that are too complex for any one discipline or industry to solve alone.