In Focus
Executive Education in Focus
Research and Thought from Executive Education Faculty
Kellogg Executive Education’s mission is lifelong learning. Our on-site programs create an immersive experience that broadens participants' perspectives and introduces new frameworks, while faculty research and writing explores ideas in greater depth. Here, we present that thinking, which spans the wealth of subjects and themes that make up the Executive Education portfolio.
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Three Ways to Avoid Becoming Too Complex
Company complexity has run amok in today’s business landscape, says Kellogg Prof. Mohan Sawhney, who identifies the three main reasons excessive complication creeps into a business's structure and operations. Avoiding those can help simplicity take hold.
Mastering Emotions When Making Decisions
We make very different choices depending on what takes the dominant role in decision-making: the head or the heart. It’s time to learn some methods for taking control and improving our track records when it comes to thinking vs. feeling in making decisions.
What to Ask About Any Marketing-Tech Initiative
How do you ensure that your company benefits from investments in marketing technologies? What are the right applications, technologies, vendors and expectations? Before you launch a major marketing-tech project, you need to start with two questions.
Understanding Your Career Motivation
What's your motivation? Are you in the right position for your motives to fuel your professional advancement? What gives you energy? What drives you? If you don’t know those answers, you may well find yourself in a situation that’s a bad fit for you and your company — and your career could easily go off the rails.
Three Key Things for New Leaders to Do
If stepping into a new leadership role has you feeling a little nervous, multiply by ten to estimate the apprehension rippling through your new team. While you may be wondering whether you are up for the challenge, the people anticipating your arrival are wondering, “What’s going to happen to me?”
The Power of Knowing Yourself as a Leader
Every journey starts with a map. For leaders, it's a mental map — one that helps them understand where they've been, where they are, and where they want to be. However, on its own, a mental map is not enough. The true power in developing a plan is to write it down, creating a living document.
The Power of Advanced-Marketing Connections
Personas. Machine learning. Disruptive business models. Social and mobile. Customer journeys. Marketing automation. Content strategy. New paradigms. Behavioral economics. Design thinking. The list goes on — what’s a marketing leader to do?
Asking for Feedback
Feedback continues to be a hot topic in leadership and management circles because it's a very powerful tool for improvement. If you’re a leader, are you asking for feedback? If so, you’re leading by example and demonstrating to others that you have a growth mindset and genuinely care about getting better.
The Three Dimensions of Executive Judgment
Of the many skills required to serve effectively at the highest levels, none is more important than judgment. The judgment required to lead effectively and to act thoughtfully, beyond instinctual reactions, is a uniquely human capability. Neuroscientists call this competence, “executive function.”
Three Factors of Surviving Brand Scandals
You’re an executive at a company that’s just been featured in a headline-level scandal. How will your brand weather the scandal with consumers? According to research by Kellogg’s Alice Tybout and Wake Forest’s Michelle Roehm, the answer depends on at least three factors.
To Bond or Not to Bond?
In August 2017, Tesla Inc. issued a $1.8 billion high yield bond. The issue, which carries a 5.3 percent coupon, matures on August 15, 2025, and is callable after August 15, 2020, at 103...The interesting question is why a corporation such as Tesla would decide to issue debt and convertible debt as the optimal financial policy.
How Can Boards Coexist with ISS and Glass Lewis?
If you ask experienced directors about their biggest complaint about the changes in the boardroom over the last 20 years, I think many would grumble and then say something about Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis. To some, these entities have taken the fun out of being a director, as creativity has been replaced by an increased focus on compliance.