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In November 1999, 11 of Goldman Sachs' finest gathered to put the final touches on a revolutionary leadership development plan. Following Goldman's explosive growth during the 1990s and its eventual IPO in 1999, a diverse group of leaders from across the firm were selected to "assess the future training and development needs of Goldman Sachs, with a particular focus on the need for a more systematic and effective approach to developing managing directors." After six months of brainstorming, holding discussions with Goldman Sachs colleagues, interviewing experts, and benchmarking best practices, it was finally time to present their findings to the management committee. The briefing contained an integrated leader development plan with concrete recommendations on how to resolve several critical design issues, including: location, faculty, content, format, method, target audience, governance, and sponsorship. No one sitting on the management committee had relied on a formal leadership program to reach the top. How skeptical might they be? How do you convince hard-nosed bankers to leave their desks and invest precious time focusing on what many perceived as "soft" issues?

Explores the challenge of managing large-scale organizational change at Simmons, an old and established company that manufactures and distributes mattresses. The new CEO, Charlie Eitel, hired to turn the organization's performance around, considers whether to implement an untraditional training program that includes outdoor experiential team-building activities as a central element of his change strategy. Asks participants to consider the decision of investing in the expensive training program following the loss of the three largest customers--retailers that together had contributed a third of Simmons' revenues. One central theme is the role of leadership in engaging and motivating employees to implement changes that improve product quality and operational efficiency and cost.

Jeanette Clough, the CEO of Mt. Auburn Hospital, successfully leads a turnaround for the struggling local hospital. When she assumed leadership of Mt. Auburn in 1998, the hospital had recently suffered a $10 million loss. During her first six months, several members of the senior leadership team quit. Clough successfully led this change effort through a transparent, collaborative approach that focused first and foremost on patient care. She was skilled at building trust and credibility with key constituents: the trustees, medical staff, and employees. After the first year, they reduced the losses to $5 million. In 2000, the hospital broke even. In 2004, the hospital earned a $7 million profit. The hospital is currently in the midst of a capital campaign to update the facilities and expand. Community groups are resisting the hospital expansion in Cambridge, posing a new set of challenges. Clough must also be clear about the strategic positioning of the hospital--a mixture of a community and teaching hospital. How can Mt. Auburn maintain this unique positioning without attempting to expand beyond its reach in competing with the other Boston-based teaching hospitals?

Because of high turnover, CFOs have less and less time to learn the ropes--yet they're shouldering more and more responsibility. A reallocation of time is in order.

When a crisis forces outside directors to navigate major changes, investors and directors must adopt new roles. The case of Royal Dutch/Shell provides useful lessons.

John Dooley, BioSol's vice-president of strategic research, has been making a name for himself at the biotechnology company's offices in Ireland. He's been doing so well, in fact, that the firm has offered him a promotion to director of strategy at headquarters--in California. He's lived abroad before. In the 1980s, making a living in Ireland was tough: Jobs were scarce and unemployment was high. So John and his wife, Fiona, moved to Massachusetts, where John attended MIT. They were not alone; many of their friends and family members also moved out of Ireland then. John and Fiona enjoyed their time in Boston; they became active in a large expatriate community and established reputations in their professional fields. By 1999, however, the Celtic Tiger was running at full speed. The Irish economy was booming and the whole country seemed to be bursting with possibility. When John was offered a job at BioSol's Dublin subsidiary, he and Fiona moved home and never looked back--until now. The new promotion would give his career a huge boost, but accepting it would mean uprooting his family and becoming an expat again. Ireland's economy is going strong now, but what if it doesn't last? Should John cast his lot with his country or his company? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0511A and R0511Z are Raj Kondur, the CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions in Bangalore, India; James Citrin, a senior director at Spencer Stuart in Stamford, Connecticut; Maurice Treacy, the director of biotechnology at Science Foundation Ireland in Dublin; Arno Haslberger, who teaches HR management at Webster University Vienna in Austria; and Sharman Esarey, also in Vienna, editor of the annual report of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.

Stress is an essential response in highly competitive environments. Before a race, before an exam, before an important meeting, your heart rate and blood pressure rise, your focus tightens, you become more alert and more efficient. But beyond a certain level, stress overloads your system, compromising your performance and, eventually, your health. So the question is: When does stress help and when does it hurt? To find out, HBR talked with Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson, M.D., founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute. Having spent more than 35 years conducting worldwide research in the fields of neuroscience and stress, Benson is best known for his 1975 best seller The Relaxation Response, in which he describes how the mind can influence stress levels through such tools as meditation. His most recent research centers on what he calls "the breakout principle," a method by which stress is not simply reduced but carefully controlled so that you reap its benefits while avoiding its dangers. He describes a four-step process in which you first push yourself to the most productive stress level by grappling intently with a problem. Next, just as you feel yourself flagging, you disengage entirely by doing something utterly unrelated--going for a walk, petting a dog, taking a shower. In the third step, as the brain quiets down, activity paradoxically increases in areas associated with attention, space-time concepts, and decision making, leading to a sudden, creative insight--the breakout. Step four is achievement of a "new-normal state," in which you find that the improved performance is sustained, sometimes indefinitely. As counterintuitive as this research may seem, managers can doubtless recall times when they've had an "aha" moment at the gym, on the golf course, or in the shower. What Benson describes here is a way to tap into this invaluable biological tool whenever we want.

Yes, it's nice when a leader is charismatic and confident. And a great resume can tell you a lot about a person's knowledge and experience. But such assets are no substitute for sheer business intelligence, and they reveal very little about a leader's ability to reach the "right" answer consistently. How can hiring managers flag individuals with such smarts? Historically, the only reliable measure of brainpower has been the standard IQ test, which is rarely used in business settings because of the specific subjects it tests for--math, reading, and spatial reasoning--and because of its multiple-choice format. Despite its shortcomings, the standard IQ test is still a better predictor of managerial success than any other assessment tool companies currently use, Justin Menkes argues. It's true that there isn't a version of IQ testing that applies to the corporate world, but in rejecting IQ tests altogether, hiring managers have thwarted their own attempts to identify true business stars. The author defines the specific subjects that make up "executive intelligence"--namely, accomplishing tasks, working with people, and judging oneself. He describes how to formulate questions to test job candidates for their mastery of these subjects, offering several examples based on real situations. Knowledge questions, such as those used in standard behavioral interviews, require people to recite what they have learned or experienced; intelligence questions call for individuals to demonstrate their abilities. Therefore, the questions in an executive intelligence test shouldn't require specific industry expertise or experience; any knowledge they call for must be rudimentary and common to all executives. And the questions should not be designed to ask whether the candidate has a particular skill; they should be configured so that the candidate will have to demonstrate that skill in the course of answering them.

John Dooley, BioSol's vice-president of strategic research, has been making a name for himself at the biotechnology company's offices in Ireland. He's been doing so well, in fact, that the firm has offered him a promotion to director of strategy at headquarters--in California. He's lived abroad before. In the 1980s, making a living in Ireland was tough: Jobs were scarce and unemployment was high. So John and his wife, Fiona, moved to Massachusetts, where John attended MIT. They were not alone; many of their friends and family members also moved out of Ireland then. John and Fiona enjoyed their time in Boston; they became active in a large expatriate community and established reputations in their professional fields. By 1999, however, the Celtic Tiger was running at full speed. The Irish economy was booming and the whole country seemed to be bursting with possibility. When John was offered a job at BioSol's Dublin subsidiary, he and Fiona moved home and never looked back--until now. The new promotion would give his career a huge boost, but accepting it would mean uprooting his family and becoming an expat again. Ireland's economy is going strong now, but what if it doesn't last? Should John cast his lot with his country or his company? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0511A and R0511Z are Raj Kondur, the CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions in Bangalore, India; James Citrin, a senior director at Spencer Stuart in Stamford, Connecticut; Maurice Treacy, the director of biotechnology at Science Foundation Ireland in Dublin; Arno Haslberger, who teaches HR management at Webster University Vienna in Austria; and Sharman Esarey, also in Vienna, editor of the annual report of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.

John Dooley, BioSol's vice-president of strategic research, has been making a name for himself at the biotechnology company's offices in Ireland. He's been doing so well, in fact, that the firm has offered him a promotion to director of strategy at headquarters--in California. He's lived abroad before. In the 1980s, making a living in Ireland was tough: Jobs were scarce and unemployment was high. So John and his wife, Fiona, moved to Massachusetts, where John attended MIT. They were not alone; many of their friends and family members also moved out of Ireland then. John and Fiona enjoyed their time in Boston; they became active in a large expatriate community and established reputations in their professional fields. By 1999, however, the Celtic Tiger was running at full speed. The Irish economy was booming and the whole country seemed to be bursting with possibility. When John was offered a job at BioSol's Dublin subsidiary, he and Fiona moved home and never looked back--until now. The new promotion would give his career a huge boost, but accepting it would mean uprooting his family and becoming an expat again. Ireland's economy is going strong now, but what if it doesn't last? Should John cast his lot with his country or his company? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0511A and R0511Z are Raj Kondur, the CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions in Bangalore, India; James Citrin, a senior director at Spencer Stuart in Stamford, Connecticut; Maurice Treacy, the director of biotechnology at Science Foundation Ireland in Dublin; Arno Haslberger, who teaches HR management at Webster University Vienna in Austria; and Sharman Esarey, also in Vienna, editor of the annual report of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.

Hema Ravichandar, head of human resources, was given a new and aggressive milestone to reach: ensure Infosys is on the Top 10 lists of both Best Performing Companies and Best Employers by 2007. No large organization had ever been able to achieve this distinction because of the tension between the need to control costs for financial performance and the expenditure required for employee satisfaction. Ravichandar was aware of the humbling experiences of the past that made Infosys cognizant of the difficulties ahead as it transitioned from a small to a large company.

Supplements the (A) case.

Benaree Wiley, an African American, female HBS graduate (class of 1972), was appointed CEO and president in 1991 of The Partnership, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to developing leadership potential in professionals of color and in increasing their representation in area businesses and institutions. The organization suffered from a lack of unity among the board, an unclear mission, and financial challenges, including debt in excess of $100,000. Starting with only an administrative assistant, Wiley built the organization from the ground up, using her ability to develop and nurture relationships as the basis for growth. In December 2004, Wiley announced her impending retirement, leaving the organization with the strategic challenge of moving its programs and services to a level of greater impact (beyond the Boston community), without the leadership of its heralded CEO.

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Describes the start-up, growth, organizational design, and operations over the first 10 years of a professional services firm. Focuses on the creative use of organizational purpose and values as an integral part of strategy and alignment of organizational activities.

Examines the ongoing efforts of an urban public school district to strengthen and support as well as manage and evaluate principal instructional leadership. Highlights the challenges posed by an influx of new first-year principals, partnership with two different principal development programs, and the looming retirement of more than half the district principals.

Examines the Aldine Independent School District's (AISD) efforts in 2005 to sustain and accelerate significant increases in student performance achieved during the preceding decade. Highlights the school district's managerial challenges posed by higher state standards, performance gaps within AISD, and the district's historically decentralized approach toward the implementation of reforms at the school level. Looks at organizational alignment or coherence, leadership, and managing performance gaps across various field units.

In 2005, Kevin Sharer reflects on the challenges of sustaining the growth and success that have brought Amgen to the position of third-largest U.S. pharmaceuticals company by market capitalization and the challenge of maintaining the higher P/E ratio it traditionally held. Profiles the leadership and development of Sharer, tracing his career from the U.S. Navy through McKinsey and Co., GE, and MCI to his entrance at Amgen as president and COO. Provides information on the history and business of Amgen and its science-based discovery model. Provides information about the protagonist's career, management style, learning style, aspirations, and motivations. Raises questions about leadership in sustaining discovery-driven growth and leadership succession.

In 2005, Tad Piper reflects on the successful spin-off from US Bancorp of Piper Jaffray, the investment bank founded by his grandfather. Profiles the development of Piper Jaffray from a Midwestern brokerage house to a national, diversified financial services firm. In 1994, a crisis in its mutual fund unit nearly destroyed the firm. Provides information about the protagonist's youth, career, family life, aspirations, and motivations. Raises questions about leadership in times of crisis, openness with stakeholders, and the value of showing vulnerability as an authentic leader.

The tension between bureaucracy and innovation dates back to the reign of Louis XIV, says University of Oregon's William H. Starbuck.