Leadership & management

How did CEOs of Fortune 100 companies come to helm the world’s largest businesses? And is there anything we can learn from their stories that might suggest lessons about how they made it to the top? Professor Kimberly Whitler looked into the education and career choices of every Fortune 100 CEO and made some surprising discoveries.

Years of inequality have led to lasting challenges faced by minorities in opportunities for advancement. Efforts to “manage diversity” could benefit from education about historical context, as well as contemporary experience, that lead to low inclusion. Courtney McCluney discusses challenges of diversity practices and potential solutions.

Valuable: employees who can connect with diverse people to improve relationships, facilitate information flow and communication, increase coordination and reduce conflict. Research shows that “social class transitioners,” people who move between socioeconomic classes, can bring a special skillset to the workforce.

When it comes to the most popular pieces of the year, in 2019 Darden Ideas to Action readers cared about teamwork, self-awareness, strategy, leadership and navigating innovation in evolving industries. Here’s a rundown of what Ideas to Action readers read the most in 2019 and what it was all about.

A collection of what to read from the latest Ideas to Action posts.

Authenticity tension, lack of engagement, contested authority: These are challenges faced by black leaders. Resilience, resourcefulness, the ability to cultivate cross-race and -hierarchy connections: These are traits that give such leaders the ability to effect change. Professor Laura Morgan Roberts discusses the reality of the black experience.

Not so long ago, CEOs were not the public face of their companies. But in the age of always-on media and the rise of superstar chief executives, CEOs must constantly give voice to the organizations they lead. Professor June West and Steve Soltis share what it takes for a CEO to succeed as a communicator.

It’s not uncommon for incoming CEOs to hire new senior staff when they join companies. But when they hire new CFOs, might those CFOs be pressured to manage earnings in a way that benefits the CEOs’ pay? New research examines these C-suite relationships and what they might mean for the long-term health of a company.

Do diversity and inclusion efforts do what they’re intended to? Professor Martin Davidson, Darden’s senior associate dean and global chief diversity officer, discusses workplace practices that encourage a culture of race-intelligent inclusion and greater understanding of the needs of black people.