Stanford GSB Executive Education

Investors are often attracted to the magnetism of eccentric CEOs. But as Associate Professor Amir Goldberg finds, charismatic leadership doesn’t always correlate with financial success. In a new study, Goldberg and several colleagues used a deep-learning model to analyze over 60,000 earnings call transcripts, observing how executives’ strikingly unorthodox language and persona — their "performative atypicality" — impacted analysts’ projections. They found that analysts assigned a premium to firms like Tesla and Green Dot, whose leaders tended to speak more unconventionally. The more a CEO’s behavior and speech seemed to mimic that of celebrated innovators, the higher the premium. However, this "atypicality premium" proved unjustified, as companies with atypical leaders tended to underperform compared to forecasts. Eccentricity and charisma, the researchers found, don’t always drive profitability. Goldberg cautions investors and analysts to rethink their assumptions about what makes a good leader. “If we interpret eccentricity or charisma as a signal of other qualities, like strategic vision or leadership — under the pressure to discover the next big thing — we end up making the same mistakes,” he says. #leadership https://lnkd.in/gFKuPf96

“If you’re only looking at one outcome, such as ‘I’m going to win or I’m going to lose,’ you’ve already lost.” – Kate Thompson Kate Thompson spends much of her time negotiating with developers and others to bring housing, hotels, cultural anchors, and landscape improvements to the once-downtrodden Rivers District Community in Calgary, Canada. In charge of overseeing $1 billion in development projects, Kate attended the Influence and Negotiation Strategies Program to reinforce her negotiation skills and embrace her influence – with the goal of delivering strongly on her organization’s urban renewal goals. Read to learn more about her experience. #StanfordGSBExecEd https://lnkd.in/gxa38-SQ

One of the most powerful and life-changing programs I have ever participated in my life! The depth, awareness, and emotional connection are almost indescribable. A tremendous and heartfelt thank you to Standford's Graduate School of Business - Interpersonal Development Program and I can't thank you enough Shalani, Riley, Diklah, Leslie, Collins, Paula, Yifat, Campbell, Chris, Zoe and Brian! 🌟 #LifeChanging #InterpersonalDevelopment #Gratitude #stanfordgsb

ESG stands for “environmental, social, and governance.” Yet as Stanford researchers find, if the acronym reflected big investors’ preferences, it might be known as GCS, or “governance, climate, and social.” A recent survey by Professor David Larcker, Professor Amit Seru, and researcher Brian Tayan offers a glimpse into how the world’s largest institutional investors think about their #ESG priorities. In ranking the relative importance of E, S, and G, more than two-thirds of all respondents put governance factors at the top of the list, with environmental factors coming next and social factors barely registering at all. As Tayan explains, “Investors are [focusing] on a shorter list of concepts that drive the bottom line: Social issues like workplace diversity and internal pay equity are considered secondary to governance and the environment and rank even lower than more pedestrian factors like data safety.” This prioritization reflects investors' view of ESG primarily as a tool for reducing portfolio risk, not as a means of generating outsize returns. As Seru concludes, “Investors are retreating to more traditional concepts of shareholder value creation and relying less on the stakeholder concepts that have come to epitomize ESG.” He continues, “ESG is likely to be quite different going forward… with investors focusing on the one or two main drivers of risk that have the potential to really drive stock price and influence outcomes.” #sustainability https://lnkd.in/gNTnjndB

I had the privilege of spending time with an exceptional group of global Docusign leaders at Stanford GSB Executive Education last week. It was truly inspiring to hear about their experiences and learn from them! A special thank you to our instructors and Jennifer Christie Alyssa Penner Caroline Dunning Elizabeth C. And Autumn Rawlins for their investment in us and for facilitating this valuable opportunity for us to come together. #womenintech #wit

Are you interested in moving from product management to the C-suite? With the product function growing in importance, product managers striving to reach the C-suite need to think and lead more strategically. Innovative Product Leadership: The Emerging Chief Product Officer will empower you with strategic frameworks, customer empathy, and communication and leadership skills to help you prepare for this highly demanding and desirable role. Learn more about the program’s curriculum, participant profile, and faculty — including program co-directors Jonathan Levav and Baba Shiv — to see if this program could be a fit for you. The application deadline is July 12, 2024. #StanfordGSBExecEd https://lnkd.in/giWBMvgM

“What I learned at Stanford is helping us renew our company and make sure Recology is positioned well for another 100 years. That’s our North Star.” – Salvatore Coniglio The Leading Change and Organizational Renewal program gave Salvatore “Sal” Coniglio the knowledge and frameworks to modernize a company built on tradition. Read to learn more about his experience. #StanfordGSBExecEd https://lnkd.in/geSHZGca

If athletic teams can’t coordinate, they lose a game. If corporate teams can’t coordinate, they lose profitability. But if medical teams can’t coordinate, Professor Michele Gelfand says, patients’ lives are on the line. Gelfand, an expert in cross-cultural psychology, conducted a study in a U.S. hospital complex, focusing on how workplace dynamics among medical staff impact patient outcomes. She discovered that "faultlines" within teams — divisions based on rank, expertise, gender, or race — lead to higher levels of incivility between coworkers and negatively affect patient care. Within hostile work units, Gelfand’s team observed an 11% increase in patient mortality and a 9% uptick in infections. “Instability and disrespect make it hard to trust other people and rely on them,” she says. “Taking care of patients is a team effort, and if there’s a lack of trust, the important glue that helps people coordinate, it could very well impact the quality of care.” Gelfand’s findings underscore the need for hospital personnel to receive not just medical training, but conflict management training as well. “Learning the appropriate way to approach conflict in a hospital if you’re a doctor or a nurse is just as important as any medical training,” Gelfand says. #healthcare https://lnkd.in/gGMuTtUB

Today, a dream comes true for me. I have the incredible opportunity to study in Stanford's Executive Program (SEP) and join the esteemed Alumni network of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business I want to express my deepest gratitude: To my family, who instilled in me the value of effort and dedication in achieving my goals. To my friends, who have always been there to listen to my dreams and support me. To my teachers at Colegio Calasanz, UTN Buenos Aires, and IAE Business School, for guiding me on the path of knowledge. To all my other teachers who crossed my path, imparting invaluable lessons that shaped my knowledge and character. To my failures, which taught me resilience, and to my victories, which proved that fighting for a dream is always worthwhile. Thanks to all these influences, I have gained the knowledge, experience, and sensitivity needed to reach SEP. As the only Argentinian student in the 2024 class, a new adventure begins for me today. I am excited to interact and form friendships with classmates from all around the world at the global innovation hub, Stanford University, in the heart of Silicon Valley. The best is yet to come! Stanford GSB Executive Education #SEP2024 #StanfordExecutiveProgram #StanfordGSBExecEd #StanfordGSBExecutiveEducation #education #stanford

We need to build “equity into the algorithm,” says Associate Professor Daniela Saban. In this episode of ‘If/Then,’ she explores how properly designed algorithms can have a significant impact on the fairness and effectiveness of matching people with opportunity. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts https://bit.ly/3KV3C3h Spotify https://bit.ly/45zD3dj YouTube https://bit.ly/45I3Ior If/Then is a podcast from the Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. New episodes of If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society drop every-other-Wednesday.