Leadership & management

Impostor syndrome has become a go-to explanation for why smart, capable people doubt themselves at work. A new integrative review, co-authored by UVA Darden Professor Sean Martin, challenges many of our assumptions about impostor syndrome — and offers a more productive way forward.

Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) offers MBAs a path to business ownership. UVA Darden’s Professor Les Alexander breaks down four key funding models — Traditional, Self-Funded, Accelerator and Sponsored — highlighting trade-offs in control, risk and equity.

In today’s volatile global business environment, CEOs face unprecedented complexity and scrutiny. Here are 10 strategic imperatives for the modern CEO, drawn from UVA Darden's faculty research, timely case studies and external partnerships.

The widely watched Economic Policy Uncertainty Index has reached its highest level since the pandemic. And we’re only halfway through 2025. How can business leaders best navigate this environment? UVA Darden Professor Saras Sarasvathy shares lessons from successful entrepreneurs.

In his last lecture to the Executive MBA class of 2025, Professor Dan Murphy encourages leaders to move beyond simple stories that seem aligned with individual values and perspectives and to wrestle with the real-world complexities and tradeoffs found in economics, leadership and society.

The secret to driving innovation might not be creating more novelty — but knowing when to strategically scale back. Research from UVA Darden’s Lillien M. Ellis that examines the development of “Avatar,” the biggest box office success in film history, shows that reducing novelty in some areas leads to greater creative and commercial success.

A new business case on infamous tech company Theranos examines the risks for entrepreneurs, board members and investors in the fog of the innovation economy.

Professor Jim Detert says small behaviors — such as multitasking, being late, not truly listening, or displaying condescending body language — may seem minor but can have a significant negative impact. These habits might explain why someone can be seen as both “nice” and “kind of a jerk” at the same time.

A new study by Darden professor Young Hou and UCLA Anderson professor Christopher Poliquin examines the policy impact of CEOs speaking out on social and political issues.