#leadership

#leadership

If a doctor ran the front desk, took vitals, performed X-rays, handled referrals, dealt with insurance, and did the paperwork, they'd only have time to see a few patients each day. They wouldn't have time to advance their craft, and they certainly wouldn't do their best work. Instead, a doctor's office organizes work so the doctor can focus on patient care. Delegating tasks doesn't mean the doctor avoids other responsibilities. It means the organization depends on the doctor to apply their expertise where it matters most.

Too many founders get stuck in reactive mode, buried in meetings and fire drills. But if you're always reacting, you're not really leading. You must move from reactive operator to strategic leader, which requires a mindset shift. Understand that you're not the firefighter - you're the architect. Ask yourself: If you disappeared for two weeks, what would break? That's where your real work begins.

In this issue of the HBR Executive Agenda, editor at large Adi Ignatius talks to Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati about how leaders can act with clarity amid rising social tension and rapid technological change.

Olimpiu Pop: Hello everybody. I'm Olimpiu Pop, an InfoQ editor, and I have in front of me Erica Pisani, one of the track hosts of QCon London 2025, and a very important track in my opinion. One that is important in general, but even more important these days. And the name of the track was performance and sustainability, which seems to be two opposing words. So, Erica, please introduce yourself.

Leicester City are exploring a move for Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles, as the Foxes look to inject leadership and defensive solidity into a season that has not gone according to plan, as reported by BBC. With the club struggling to find consistency in the Championship, caretaker manager Andy King is understood to be pushing for reinforcements who can provide both immediate impact and dressing-room authority.

"We faced a challenging year with the loss of grant funding and tough staffing decisions," said Seletta Goodall, head of administration for the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) in the Feinberg School of Medicine. "It wasn't easy for any of us. But our team pulled together, adapted and ultimately came out stronger and more aligned in our mission."

For the first time in our history, more than 70% of Africans are under the age of 30. This, along with entrenched inequalities, poverty, unemployment and socioeconomic fault lines, is reshaping how our societies interact with one another and the world. This is Africa's most consequential decade. Leaders who take office over the next 10 years will have to deliver on difficult mandates within a political, economic and social landscape that has been fundamentally altered.

It's not just about the procedural accuracy. It's about honoring these stories and the emotional and ethical terrain that doctors navigate every day that reflect similar terrains within us. It's kind of like an onion peel. The more you pull back, the more there is, and the more it moves you.

We've long misunderstood hope in the workplace. We've treated it as wishful thinking-a nice-to-have feeling that emerges when things are going well. But research from psychologist C.R. Snyder reveals something far more powerful: Hope is a cognitive process with three essential components: goals (what we want to achieve), pathways (our ability to identify routes to those goals), and agency (our belief that we can pursue those paths). This isn't passive optimism; it's an active strategy for navigating uncertainty and driving meaningful change.

Half the time he disagreed with it, but I felt good about that. I thought that was a really healthy thing.

The CEO added he would even offer to step in for his boss in meetings-whether or not he was prepared to answer all of the questions that came up. Plus, instead of brushing off queries above his pay grade and waiting for his manager's return, he would proactively respond: "I don't know, but I'll find out fast and get back to you." "I then put myself in an environment where I became a low-risk promotion because people had already seen me do the job," McMillon concluded.

Today marks a moment of responsibility, service and partnership,

Moi is an outstanding player, a world-class midfield player. I don't know how many headers he has scored in his career, but we are always a threat on set-plays. When you play against a low block, your pivot players can be higher up the pitch. He's scored a couple from outside the box this season and hopefully he can keep chipping in with goals to win us more games of football.

Sometimes Warren Buffett says something so simple, so obvious, that you almost want to roll your eyes. At 95 years young, he has offered plainspoken advice that has shaped one of the most successful careers in history. But when you hear it, you know it's truth and part of you wonders: Why haven't I applied this yet? When we slow down long enough to sit with some of his wisdom-really let it sink in, not just skim it on our phones-

I'm not a runner, but I love to watch the relay.

His career began at ground level, running his own Italian deli, where he learned firsthand how leadership, operations, and customer trust come together in real time. Long hours and daily problem-solving shaped his belief that strong businesses are built through consistency, structure, and accountability. Those early experiences led Anthony to develop a deeper interest in strategy and financial markets. He began studying trends, analysing patterns, and applying disciplined thinking to decision-making.

When Chris Drury made the trade last season for JT Miller to re-join the New York Rangers, the logic was simple, if mildly flawed. Miller is a fiery personality who doesn't accept losing, and the Rangers were doing plenty of losing. Additionally, Miller came at the cost of an oft-injured third line center, a bottom pair defenseman, and a first round draft pick.

"Seeing Fred Warner and George Kittle out there, Day 1, and how hard they went in the offseason," Purdy said Wednesday in a quiet moment at his locker.