Leadership & management

Strategic thinking, sound decision-making, critical thinking, persuasion, empathy. There are a host of qualities that effective leaders should model in the workplace if they want to influence others and deliver truly positive outcomes. But chief among these is one that might not be on your radar: the willingness and ability to act courageously.

It doesn’t matter how big your leadership toolkit is if you won’t be courageous enough to use those tools when it counts. Just like any other competency, you can learn, practice and strategically deploy the ability to act skillfully in high-stress moments. Here we dig into practical recommendations for getting to the other side of workplace fears.

University of Virginia Darden School of Business faculty share ways in which business leaders should prepare for 2022.

Courage: the lynchpin of leadership. It’s also the key to solving problems, innovating, pursuing opportunities and safeguarding the welfare of others. In a new book — and this Darden Ideas to Action series — Professor Jim Detert discusses courage as a skill that can be learned and developed.

Russell Diez-Canseco, CEO of Vital Farms, a partner company of Conscious Capitalism Inc and Alexander McCobin, CEO of Conscious Capitalism Inc., tell Professor Freeman what changed their minds from “shareholder value maximizers” and led them to become two of the most outspoken advocates for stakeholder-centered capitalism.

Remote work has its challenges. And research shows that we tend to focus on what we are losing in the midst of change. But as we see the picture of the new take shape, we can positively and proactively see benefits to our situations. Here, experts discuss five advantages of remote work, which we can embrace if we move with intention.

Professor Ed Freeman’s new The Stakeholder Podcast features interviews with some of the world’s best theorists, policy makers, scholars, authors, and practitioners of stakeholder thinking. In a recent episode, Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne shares what stakeholder theory has to do with her research and teaching and project management.

The goal of social justice movements is to bring about deep institutional and community change, and it’s unavoidable that such a massive mission would spark intense debates. But what happens when people bring that passion to the workplace? Leaders need to be prepared for how to handle sensitive emotional issues among organizational stakeholders.

As we close Women’s History Month, some of Darden’s many female faculty experts share wisdom on leadership and business. Here they offer guidance in advancing to leadership positions, creating trust, race in the workplace, leading mindfully through crisis and supporting female entrepreneurs in emerging economies.

The future of work is changing, whether you’re ready or not. But getting ready is no simple task. Who can you trust to teach the new skills you’ll need? How much should you pay? What’s more important: credentials or knowledge? University of Virginia Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley shares his thoughts.