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Italplastic, C.A. is a Venezuelan family business that was founded in the 1970s by Italian immigrant Antonio Pietri, who had extensive experience in the plastics industry. Antonio started up his company with a business partner and a close friend and then later brought his children in to the company in different roles. The business grew into a company of 350 workers that had a turnover of some USD 7.5 million a year, and had even made small inroads in the Colombian market and in some Caribbean countries. His only male child, Alessandro, graduated from a renowned Venezuelan business school and was first integrated into the company as deputy president. In mid-2005, Antonio appointed Alessandro general manager, and he became president of the board of directors, of which his two daughters were members. Alessandro tried to make several changes and outlined a strategy that would grow the company through involvement in external markets; however, he faced opposition from his father and several employees. At the beginning of 2009, he began to question his future in the company. He repeatedly asked himself the question: Should I stay in the family business or take another path?

In 2018, the board of directors of the German utility company E.ON SE was presented with a deal for an asset swap with a major domestic competitor, RWE AG. The deal was meant to help the competitors cope with uncertainties and challenges caused by the ongoing transformation of the utility industry in Europe. In the proposed deal, a recently created RWE-spinoff, innogy SE, would be disassembled with the assets going to E.ON. Because RWE still held a 76.8 per cent stake in innogy, the transfer meant that E.ON could gain full control over innogy's assets. In exchange, RWE would gain a minority investment in E.ON and some other assets. A deal, if approved, would be a surprise to the stock market. Should E.ON's board approve it?

In 2018, the board of directors of the German utility company E.ON SE was presented with a deal for an asset swap with a major domestic competitor, RWE AG. The deal was meant to help the competitors cope with uncertainties and challenges caused by the ongoing transformation of the utility industry in Europe. In the proposed deal, a recently created RWE-spinoff, innogy SE, would be disassembled with the assets going to E.ON. Because RWE still held a 76.8 per cent stake in innogy, the transfer meant that E.ON could gain full control over innogy's assets. In exchange, RWE would gain a minority investment in E.ON and some other assets. A deal, if approved, would be a surprise to the stock market. Should E.ON's board approve it?

In late 2017, the founder of Maple Tree Cancer Alliance faced a new challenge. In 2011, she had launched the non-profit organization to improve the quality of life for cancer patients by providing them with individualized exercise training programs, nutritional guidance, and emotional support during and after cancer treatment. In six years, the organization had expanded to 10 locations in Ohio and Pennsylvania; however, the founder wanted to strategically extend the organization throughout the United States, crossing the geographical and administrative boundaries of the healthcare system. One of her biggest challenges was to identify a growth model to stay sustainable. How could she position the organization for further growth?

In 2017, the chief executive officer (CEO) and chair of the board for DSM Industrial (DSM), a family-owned business in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, was considering his retirement. The company had been started by his father in 1964, and the CEO had worked there since he was 20 years old. Now he was planning on retiring within the next few years. However, he needed someone to take over the top-level management of his family's commercial and residential construction business along with his roles as CEO and board chair. The company had many highly capable senior people with unique skills and vision-some were members of his family and others were long-time senior staff. If he chose an outside successor, would morale at the firm be affected? Would long-time employees leave? His successor needed technical skills to lead the company and maintain the culture. The decision was complicated by changes in the construction industry, the differing visions of senior management for the future of the company, the need to placate the needs of other family members, and the recent interest from outside parties in the possible purchase of DSM's related companies. How would his family react to a sale, and how would the culture that he had invested so much time and effort in creating fare in the face of new ownership? Did his two positions need to operate separately? How would they interplay with one another? How could he solve his succession dilemma?

Google was once considered a dream place to work at for people in the technology industry. However, the company has faced fierce criticism in recent years for its attempts to suppress the voice of its employees. The past few years have been tumultuous for the company, which has had to grapple with employee protests over the mishandling of sexual harassment claims, retaliation for expression of their disagreement with company policies, and ethic crises related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For a long time, workers at Google have enjoyed what has become known as the legendary standards of a democratic workplace and corporate perks. Recently, however, they have taken to the streets to protest the destructive work culture of the company. Some discontented employees left the company; others were allegedly fired in retaliation for their actions. Google had historically been characterized as "least bad" among technology giants in terms of the freedom of expression allowed to employees. Is this changing? Why were Google's employees discouraged from voicing their challenges? What approach should company adopt to maintain the trust of employees in channels provided for freedom of expression of its employees? Could the termination of vocal employees be treated as unlawful retaliation? Has Google been struggling to handle workplace harassment complaints? Would alleged improper handling of workplace sexual harassment attract a legal action against the company? How Google should handle workplace harassment complaints in future to avoid legal battles?

In 2016, Grupo Vidawa, a small Colombian software company, launched KANAN Cloud, a freemium software service targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses. The software aimed to help these businesses meet new occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations that were to come into effect in January 2017. A year after launch, KANAN Cloud had only 500 free users and six paying customers. Software use was also extremely low. A few circumstances seemed to explain these results: the OHS regulations appeared overly complex to most small business owners, the regulations kept changing throughout 2017, and the OHS service market became saturated with cheap “quick fix” offers that did not meet legal requirements but fit the immediate needs and tiny budgets of many small businesses. Given this, Grupo Vidawa had to decide the next steps for KANAN Cloud.

In 2018, the chairperson of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan), Carlos Ghosn, was arrested for alleged misconduct and criminal offences related to underreporting remuneration and misrepresenting annual disclosures. Detailed investigations revealed similar misrepresentations by the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Hiroto Saikawa, who was forced to resign. The actions of senior officials left a deep stain on Nissan’s reputation, causing investors to question the effect of corporate governance at Nissan—and by extension, at similar companies across Japan and the world. As details of the scandal unfolded, Nissan suffered negative public repercussions. Its share-based incentive systems, excessive focus on profitability, and cost-cutting measures had caused deviations from normal risk management procedures, resulting in the production of poor-quality vehicles and thus vehicle recalls. Consumer trust in the company dropped, as did sales and profitability figures, with a continuous fall in the company’s stock. The company’s new CEO and board of directors were left to make amends for the company’s future. They needed to determine how to strengthen the company’s leadership and governance structure as they worked to make Nissan sustainable and profitable once again. Should they adopt a typical Japanese model of corporate governance, or would a model from elsewhere be more suitable?

Capillary Technologies, an Indian customer relationship management software as a service company, provided cloud-based omnichannel customer engagement and related services to retailers and brands. In a country well known for software service companies, based primarily on labour cost advantages, Capillary was founded as a business-to-business software company (i.e., an intellectual property company). After entering several Western markets, which was consistent with its lofty aspirations, Capillary decided to pursue Asian markets. The new venture relocated its headquarters from India to Singapore and made strong efforts to gain revenue in the Asia region—including the large, but intensely competitive, Chinese market. Capillary started by working with Western multinationals that were its customers in other markets. The company then began attracting local customers, as it established a Chinese technology team to cater to the unique technological ecosystems prevalent in China. Over a three-year period, Capillary achieved 200 per cent annual growth. With the opening of a new office in Guangzhou, Capillary then hoped to further deepen its presence in the Chinese market. What could the general manager do to help Capillary reach this goal within the next three years?

This leadership case package, a written case with a podcast supplement, describes the biggest challenges to confront four-star Admiral James G. Stavridis during two of his tours of duty-one as commander of U.S. Southern Command, or "SouthCom," the U.S. Defense Department's regional command for Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean) and one as the military commander of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Stavridis came to SouthCom with a reform agenda. Understanding that he had a short window to act, he tried to impose certain cultural and organizational changes on the Command, relying on traditional military top-down compliance. He got compliance-but only temporarily; his reforms were rolled back as soon as he left the Command. Learning from this disappointment, Stavridis took a very different approach at NATO. Appointed Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in 2009, Stavridis immediately confronted a crisis: the U.S.-led Afghan mission was failing and losing support from NATO leaders. What's more, NATO was not a top-down organization. Decisions were made by consensus-and skills of persuasion were consequently paramount. The written case relates Stavridis' reflections about the challenges he faced in SouthCom and at NATO, and the strategies he employed to address them. A 20-minute podcast supplement ("Reflections on the Inner Life of a Leader: Adm James Stavridis in Conversation with Prof. Robert Wilkinson," transcript available) features a more general discussion about tricky challenges in leadership-such as how to deal with a person with whom you deeply disagree; how to structure key processes to gain agreement, how to keep emotions in check in difficult moments; and what personal practices help to keep an extraordinarily demanding life in balance. Case Number 2195.0

This case is an epilogue to "Wilderness Safaris: Impact Investing and Ecotourism Conservation in Africa" (2-321-020), which ends with the emergence of the pandemic in March 2020. The final discussion area for that case can be "What should Wilderness Safari CEO Keith Vincent do to confront the challenges of the pandemic?" This case documents, in the CEO's own words, what actions and plans Vincent and the company had taken or formulated as of July 2020. The areas covered are: Governance and Decision Making, Cash Management, People, Communities, Travel Agencies and Customers, Conservation, Reopening, and Investor Reactions and Future Projects. The case is only five pages, so it could be used as an in-class handout after the discussion of the previous case, with the follow-up class discussion taking place then, if sufficient time is available, or in the subsequent class. The focus of the discussion is on the students' analysis and evaluation of Vincent's actions and plans. The case particularly offers learning opportunities for risk assessment, leadership, and management in crisis situations.

A team of researchers found that people who were optimistic about their abilities scored no better than people who doubted themselves on a wide range of tests. And overconfidence, it seems, may even impair performance, especially if it leads to a lack of preparation.

The pandemic has hastened a rise in remote working for knowledge-based organizations. This has notable benefits: Companies can save on real estate costs, hire and utilize talent globally, mitigate immigration issues, and experience productivity gains, while workers can enjoy geographic flexibility. At the same time, concerns include how to communicate across time zones, share knowledge that isn't yet codified, socialize virtually and prevent professional isolation, protect client data, and avoid slacking. Research into work-from-anywhere (WFA) organizations and groups that include the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Tata Consultancy Services, and GitLab (the world's largest all-remote company) highlights best practices and can help leaders decide whether remote work is right for their organizations.

Bosses often sense that something is missing in an employee's tool kit but can't put a finger on what it is. They say something like "You need certain important intangibles" or "You don't have enough gravitas," but they fail to provide advice or guidance. What they're talking about is leadership style. In every interaction, we send signals to others that fall into two categories: power and attractiveness. Powerful markers are associated with confidence, competence, charisma, and influence but also arrogance, abrasiveness, and intimidation. Attractiveness markers are related to agreeableness, approachability, and likability but also diffidence, lack of confidence, and submissiveness. The more consistent our signals, the more distinctive our style. This practical guide offers concrete advice for developing a dynamic and effective leadership style that draws from both types of markers for maximum impact.