For most of her career, Lucinda Stewart was a woman working in contexts-investment banking private equity, venture capital-largely dominated by men. Nonetheless, Stewart had been able, virtually from the beginning of her career, to obtain allies and mentors and, as a consequence, accelerate her career progress (e.g., she was a VC partner in her late 20s). The case describes Stewart's life, upbringing, and career trajectory, with a focus on the personal qualities/attributes and strategies she has used to attract allies and supporters. Attracting supporters is something crucial to building power, because allies are crucial for getting things done.

Jason Calacanis described himself as a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and podcaster - and someone who had come a long way from the time he had to talk his way into Fordham University. Later, when finances were tight, he talked the dean into getting the bursar to cut him a break. These early experiences with "being bold," he believed, encouraged him to keep being bold - and creative. This case study explores Calacanis' path to entrepreneurship, a route that took him first into publishing, and later into angel investing, then hosting influential incubator and networking events for investors and entrepreneurs. Throughout all of these activities there was a strong creative thread - Calacanis events were not just about connecting investors and entrepreneurs, but also provided entertainment.

As a student at the Harvard Business School, Sadiq Gillani decided to focus his career on the airline industry. This case study explores Gillani's strategic decisions to take positions with aviation consulting companies, start-up airlines, and budget airlines-and gain valuable experience that prepared him to work on big transformative issues, skills he would later use as chief strategy officer at the Lufthansa Group, Europe's largest aviation company. At Lufthansa, a company with a German culture where people tended to work their way up, Gillani found himself an outsider. Networking and establishing a presence as a global expert and leader in the industry helped move his career forward. In 2018 Gillani became senior vice president at Emirates, which operated in 80 countries around the world and was the largest airline in the Middle East. As he reflected on the moves he had made to build his career and his reputation in the airline industry, Gillani wondered to what extent the career strategies he had employed were generalizable to other people in other industries-and whether these strategies would prepare him for his next position.

Tristan Walker was a 32-year-old entrepreneur. A visionary thinker and GSB graduate, Walker had accomplished much in his short career, and had worked briefly at Twitter, Foursquare, and Andreessen Horowitz before founding his own company, Walker & Company Brands. Walker was also the chair and cofounder of Code 2040, a nonprofit that helped underrepresented minorities chart successful pathways in the technology sector. Tristan Walker grew up in Queens, NY, where a Boys' Club program led him to a scholarship at the Hotchkiss School, a Connecticut prep school. From there he attended SUNY-Stony Brook, planning to head into the financial world. A brief stint on Wall Street convinced him otherwise, so he applied to Stanford GSB. Walker spent his time at the GSB building a solid network of connections and mentors. During his first year at GSB, Walker found himself in the right place at the right time when he interned at Twitter, and embraced the company's role in changing global communication. His next move was to jump to Foursquare, a company with an app that let users share information about nearby businesses and attractions. Walker's perseverance was legendary-he announced he was coming to work there, showed up and signed up merchants, and ended up head of business development. Much of the case describes how Walker decided on the goals of his own enterprise and how he launched his vision. As an entrepreneur-in-residence at Andreessen Horowitz, Walker concentrated on coming up with a fresh idea. The realization that African Americans could avoid razor bumps by using different shaving products resonated with him, and he could see there was an opportunity to serve this underrepresented market. So he set out to make health and beauty products tailored for the comfort and benefit of people of color. Walker's extensive contacts and immense following on Twitter, and his range of experiences all helped prepare him for the launch of Walker & Company in 2013.

In November of 2010, the board of Stanford Hospital and Clinics announced that Amir Dan Rubin, at the time chief operating officer of the UCLA Hospital System, would become the next CEO at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. Although by 2010 Stanford hospital had largely recovered from a failed merger with the hospital of the University of California, San Francisco, and was financially stable, Rubin would lead an organization that still faced significant challenges. These included creating a focus on patient care and improving operational performance, especially in the wake of an increasingly competitive health system landscape. Rubin's success depended on obtaining the support of a large existing internal staff as well as the medical center faculty. The faculty reported to the dean of the medical school, not to Rubin. The case describes what Rubin did to transform the culture and operations of Stanford Health Care and, specifically, what he did to build support among the various constituencies so critical to his being successful: the medical school physicians, the board of the hospital, and the colleagues already at Stanford. The case also looks at the next steps that Rubin planned in 2014 for continuing to move the hospital forward and the challenges with which he would need to grapple. The case is useful in classes on leadership, organizational culture and culture change, and in classes on power and influence where outside succession and the task of building internal support is a topic.

This case describes the challenges facing CEO Kent Thiry and DaVita as they being thinking about how to integrate a recent acquisition, Health Care Partners (HCP). DaVita had been primarily a kidney dialysis company with a very strong culture built around teamwork, fun, continuous improvement, accountability, and service. The senior management saw DaVita as "a community first and a company second." HCP was an integrated health care provider with a substantially different workforce from DaVita. The case describes the history of DaVita, its industry, its unique culture, and its success over the previous 15 years. It provides a detailed description of how the culture was developed and managed through the use of a series of processes and events including the careful use of language, symbols, and traditions (the company is a "village," team members are "citizens," the use of slogans such as "one for all and all for one," three musketeer costumes, wide sharing of information, involvement of team members, extensive recognition and reward programs, investment in training and socialization, and even a company song). This culture was a competitive advantage in DaVita's financial success by attracting and retaining staff and patients, maintaining control of costs, and improving clinical outcomes. The new challenge was whether this culture could, or should, be exported to Health Care Partners.

When leaders behave capriciously, they signal their power and, often, the authority they need to drive valuable change. But this behavior can also take a toll on employees and potentially undermine organizational performance.

Adam Baker is a promising young COO at Straus Event Specialists and the protege of CEO Merwyn Straus, who acquired him along with his failed company, Tallyrymple, a few years ago. Adam suggested that SES and two partners invest in a chain of hotels, and now he wants to run the new business. "That door isn't open to you" is Merwyn's response. "Let it go," says Adam's friend Kaleeb. "Be more aggressive," says Kaleeb's wife. Adam must decide whether to push Merwyn to give him the job. Commentary by Marshall Goldsmith, a leading executive educator and coach, and Richard C. Kessler, the CEO of a group of 10 boutique hotels in the U.S.

Adam Baker is a promising young COO at Straus Event Specialists and the protege of CEO Merwyn Straus, who acquired him along with his failed company, Tallyrymple, a few years ago. Adam suggested that SES and two partners invest in a chain of hotels, and now he wants to run the new business. "That door isn't open to you" is Merwyn's response. "Let it go," says Adam's friend Kaleeb. "Be more aggressive," says Kaleeb's wife. Adam must decide whether to push Merwyn to give him the job.

Adam Baker is a promising young COO at Straus Event Specialists and the protege of CEO Merwyn Straus, who acquired him along with his failed company, Tallyrymple, a few years ago. Adam suggested that SES and two partners invest in a chain of hotels, and now he wants to run the new business. "That door isn't open to you" is Merwyn's response. "Let it go," says Adam's friend Kaleeb. "Be more aggressive," says Kaleeb's wife. Adam must decide whether to push Merwyn to give him the job. Commentary by Marshall Goldsmith, a leading executive educator and coach, and Richard C. Kessler, the CEO of a group of 10 boutique hotels in the U.S.

Employers and employees alike benefit from choices that promote good health. But too often, companies refresh the cafeteria menu, offer discounted gym memberships, and leave it up to the individual to go from there. Research shows, however, that management's decisions contribute to morbidity and mortality at least as much as employees' own actions. Layoffs, long hours, failure to provide health insurance, lack of autonomy on the job, and general financial insecurity all promote ill health as a result of stress and its correlates. Furthermore, businesses don't always see the direct economic consequences of their actions. Companies must scrutinize their decisions carefully to encourage a healthier workforce.

A campaign to make management more of a profession-one that adheres to higher aims that self-interest or economic benefit-is under way. But professions actually have another defining feature: a specialized body of knowledge that practitioners must apply in their daily work. In law, people must pass an exam to gain admission to the bar. In medicine, doctors are required to complete continuing education. The idea of setting knowledge standards for managers is starting to gain traction, but if it is to take hold, business schools, management publications, and public and private organizations will need to take action.

Tom Green, an aggressive young sales executive at self-service kiosk company D7 Displays, has been promoted to senior marketing specialist by Shannon McDonald, his division VP. Shannon had warned Tom that she was taking a chance with him and that he'd have to learn fast and work well with his new boss, Frank Davis, who wouldn't have chosen Tom for the position. On the job, Tom finds himself at odds with Frank and challenges him openly at a well-attended meeting. Frank begins to formally document deficiencies in Tom's performance, and McDonald falls in line with Frank. With his back against the wall, Tom must carefully consider his next move. Harvard Business School professor W. Earl Sasser presents the fictional case. Jeffrey Pfeffer, of Stanford University, and Paul Falcone, of Time Warner Cable, offer their expert commentary.

Tom Green, an aggressive young sales executive at self-service kiosk company D7 Displays, has been promoted to senior marketing specialist by Shannon McDonald, his division VP. Shannon had warned Tom that she was taking a chance with him and that he'd have to learn fast and work well with his new boss, Frank Davis, who wouldn't have chosen Tom for the position. On the job, Tom finds himself at odds with Frank and challenges him openly at a well-attended meeting. Frank begins to formally document deficiencies in Tom's performance, and McDonald falls in line with Frank. With his back against the wall, Tom must carefully consider his next move. Harvard Business School professor W. Earl Sasser presents the fictional case. Jeffrey Pfeffer, of Stanford University, and Paul Falcone, of Time Warner Cable, offer their expert commentary.

Ross Walker had come a long way. A child of modest upbringing in Marin County just north of San Francisco, Walker had earned both undergraduate and MBA degrees from Stanford. He had been chosen to serve a five-year term as the youngest alumni representative on the Stanford University Board of Trustees and had a great job at Wolff Urban Development in the industries he loved, hospitality and real estate. Most importantly, Walker was well-known and well-liked by a very large number of people, with an extensive network that went far beyond hospitality and real estate and a great reputation among administrators at Stanford and with his GSB classmates. But like all successful people, Ross Walker faced a potential challenge. As his career unfolded, he would inevitably face more intense competition as he moved on to even bigger platforms and more responsibility. Walker had been able to build numerous relationships by the qualities that had thus far served him so well-incredible generosity with his time and advice, modesty, hard work, self-awareness, and by not being flashy and thus, on occasion, being underestimated by others, including rivals. Some observers wondered, however, if those qualities would continue to serve him just as well in the future as they had in the past.

Pay and promotion discrimination for women continues in the United States. Women earn less than similarly qualified men, tend to work in occupations and job titles that pay less, and are underrepresented in senior management ranks, including CEO and board positions. Although the extent of gender-based career discrimination has declined somewhat over the past several decades, its persistence raises fundamental questions as to why women are apparently disadvantaged. This note seeks to understand women's underrepresentation in senior management ranks by exploring the relationship between gender and power dynamics. An important question about attaining power is how the rules of the game differ, if they do, for men and women. If the rules are different or operate in ways that disadvantage women, what should or could women do to build a path to power? There is extensive research on women's attaining positions of power and also quite a bit of evidence to understand the underlying mechanisms that partly explain why women are, on average, not as successful as similarly qualified men in getting to senior level positions or earning comparable salaries. This note reviews some of the most relevant data on these questions. It provides a brief summary of the existing social science theory and evidence that helps elucidate the interrelated issues of gender, power, and career success.

If you want to get anything done in a large corporation, you need power. And it won't just fall into your lap: You have to go after it and learn how to use it. Many highly competent people get stuck because they're uncomfortable with that reality. Stanford University professor Pfeffer offers a primer on why power matters, how to get it, and how to use it to advance your organization's agenda-thus, not incidentally, furthering your career. When push comes to shove, the author explains, there are several things powerful people do to prevail. They mete out resources; deploy rewards and punishments to shape others' behavior; advance on multiple fronts; make the first move; co-opt antagonists; remove rivals (nicely, if possible); avoid drawing unnecessary fire; use a personal touch; persist; attend to important relationships; and make their vision compelling. Throughout, Pfeffer draws on real-world examples of people who exercised power skillfully to implement their plans-people ranging from the director of UCSF's breast cancer center to a successful software executive to an Indian cricket mogul. And Pfeffer identifies three big barriers that can make you your own worst enemy unless you learn how to get over them and embrace the power you need.

Sally Randolph, chief medical officer at American Medical Center, has just learned that the CEO is cancelling the Evidence-Based Management seminar she has run for the past year. Sally and the seminar participants had worked hard to introduce the approach, which advocates basing all decisions on carefully gathered and rigorously assessed data. Although the seminar yielded thoughtful solutions to some of the center's trickiest management problems-such as uncoordinated patient care-the medical chiefs rejected them. Now the CEO wants to set up task forces, staffed with middle managers who were seminar participants, to try to sustain the evidence-based approach and to carry out a new strategic plan: creating Centers of Excellence, in the hope of boosting patient volume. Although he says that he values the evidence-based approach, Sally fears that he is merely paying lip service. Her challenge is making sure the approach doesn't fade away. She can try to gradually prove the value of evidence-based management within her own jurisdiction (regulating quality and control) or push for its implementation across the entire center immediately, as a central part of the CEO's strategic plan. Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1005L and R1005Z.

Sally Randolph, chief medical officer at American Medical Center, has just learned that the CEO is cancelling the Evidence-Based Management seminar she has run for the past year. Sally and the seminar participants had worked hard to introduce the approach, which advocates basing all decisions on carefully gathered and rigorously assessed data. Although the seminar yielded thoughtful solutions to some of the center's trickiest management problems-such as uncoordinated patient care-the medical chiefs rejected them. Now the CEO wants to set up task forces, staffed with middle managers who were seminar participants, to try to sustain the evidence-based approach and to carry out a new strategic plan: creating Centers of Excellence, in the hope of boosting patient volume. Although he says that he values the evidence-based approach, Sally fears that he is merely paying lip service. Her challenge is making sure the approach doesn't fade away. She can try to gradually prove the value of evidence-based management within her own jurisdiction (regulating quality and control) or push for its implementation across the entire center immediately, as a central part of the CEO's strategic plan. Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1005L and R1005Z.