Go To Harvard Business School Professor, former Medtronic CEO
Published on February 26, 2019
Last Thursday, Kraft Heinz announced a $15.4 billion write down of its mega-brands and disclosed an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of its accounting practices. Consequently, its stock dropped 27% the next day and is down 62% from its peak two years ago. One more short-term cost cutter bites the dust. Kraft Heinz is getting criticism from all directions…
Published on February 11, 2019
By Edward Baig for USA Today Before his bombshell accusation that American Media Inc. (AMI) was trying to extort and blackmail him, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was cast in some corners as a villain. With Bezos counterpunching hard against the National Enquirer publisher, the richest guy in the world may not only come off as hero of sorts…
Published on January 30, 2019
In the past decade, companies have shifted away from competency leadership models to the authentic leadership development model, prompting the Harvard Business Review to declare that “authenticity has become the gold standard for leadership.” Authentic leadership programs help leaders develop their character, their values, and the inner side of their leadership, which are essential to leading other people….
Published on January 18, 2019
For the past decade, the technology giants—Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, Uber—have dominated the business world. Just last year, their stock prices appeared to be on an endless upward trajectory. No longer. The past year presented the major technology companies with multiple difficulties, and 2019 promises to be even more challenging. Expect extensive news coverage of how Russian…
Published on January 15, 2019
At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, these four corporate leaders stepped forward—and changed how we think of leadership forever, says Bill George. Four titans who defined a new era in business during the past decade recently concluded their terms: PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi, Unilever’s Paul Polman, Mayo Clinic’s John Noseworthy, and US Bancorp’s Richard Davis….
Published on January 2, 2019
A look at philanthropic efforts by corporate givers. Jacquie Berglund Jacquie Berglund is founder and CEO of Finnegans Brew Co., which donates all of its profits to hunger relief in the markets where its craft beer is sold. Last year, Berglund opened the Finnegans Brewery & Taproom in Minneapolis. The Elliot Park complex includes the…
Published on December 20, 2018
GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and General Electric all made key announcements Wednesday signaling that health-care companies are shifting to focus their businesses on their greatest strengths and abandoning the diversification strategies that have characterized health care for the past two decades. First, a quick summary of their moves: GSK and Pfizer announced that they are merging their consumer businesses into a…
Published on December 17, 2018
Reuters published a story Friday charging that J&J knew back in 1971 that “its iconic baby power sometimes contained asbestos and failed to alert authorities.” The story and stock drop seem like an overreaction. I feel confident J&J will put the interests of its customers first and maintain its reputation for the highest integrity. On…
Published on November 5, 2018
Bakken was always two decades ahead of his time, causing many people to doubt his ideas, but he never wavered, Bill George writes. Earl Bakken’s death on Oct. 21 at his beloved Hawaii home sent reverberations back to Minnesota. He leaves behind a powerful legacy that will impact Minnesotans for generations to come. Having known…
Published on October 26, 2018
“Earl Bakken was a man and a legend.” So wrote integrative medicine philanthropist Penny George in a e-note following news that the founder of the now $27-billion Medtronic had died at 94 in his home on his beloved island of Hawaii. “Earl is also a testament to integrative care. He accumulated a number of serious health problems with which…