Ally Macdonald

For decades, researchers have published findings around leadership in MIT Sloan Management Review. This collection offers a dozen of our most popular leadership articles of all time. We’ve collected a dozen of our most popular leadership articles from our archives, and for a limited time, every article is open access. With this collection, you’ll benefit from decades of research from academics and practitioners on the skills, processes, and frameworks that can help managers lead through times of uncertainty and disruption.

The most underrated skill in management

Few questions in business are more powerful than “What problem are you trying to solve?” Leaders who can formulate clear problem statements get more done with less effort and move more rapidly than their less-focused counterparts. But stopping to ask this question doesn’t come naturally — managers must put conscious effort into learning a structured approach.

The smart way to respond to negative emotions at work

Many executives try to ignore negative emotions in their workplaces — a tactic that can be counterproductive and costly. If managers respond to employees’ negative feelings wisely, employees may provide them important feedback

3. The five steps all leaders must take in the age of uncertainty

Leaders need a new mental model to better understand the complex interplay between companies, economies, and societies. To do so, they must shift their focus to the broader business and social ecosystems in which their companies are embedded.

Don’t confuse digital with digitization

“Becoming digital” is a totally different exercise from digitizing. Digitization involves standardizing business processes and is an important enabler of becoming digital, but digitization on its own wont make a business a digital company.

What makes work meaningful

When employees find their work meaningful, there are myriad benefits for their productivity — and for their employers. Managers who support meaningful work are more likely to attract, retain, and motivate the talent they need to ensure future growth.

The lost art thinking in large organizations

Making the transition from management to leadership requires that managers exercise skills in strategic thinking — skills they don’t often get to practice in the action-oriented environment they know best. Managers moving into senior leadership must learn to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty and learn the importance of taking time to think things through.

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