IESE Insight. Issue 20. First Quarter 2014

Setting in motion a chain reaction of positive energy throughout your organization starts with you. The University of Michigan's Kim Cameron suggests five positive leadership practices to detox your workplace and spread the light even among organizations that are downsizing, facing bankruptcy, experiencing loss of mission or encountering fiscal disasters. IESE's Alberto Ribera and consultant J.L. Guillén explain how "mindfulness" and "flow" strengthen a broad set of executive functions to boost productivity, improve decision-making and enhance well-being. IESE's Anneloes Raes poses several key questions to ask yourself, aimed at improving your cognitive flexibility, integrative bargaining, mutual influencing and creativity in the pursuit of more fruitful interactions between upper and middle management. IESE's Mario Capizzani, together with Santa Clara University's Ravi Shanmugam, Edward F. McQuarrie and Shelby H. McIntyre, builds up a picture of who online reviewers are and what motivates them, so that managers can engage with review sites and reap the business benefits. IESE's Fred Krawchuk draws on his experiences in Afghanistan to present a practical framework to guide businesses in their multistakeholder collaborations. Unilever CEO Paul Polman sees the global financial crisis not as a blip until things go back to the way they were before, but as a springboard for change through sustainability and innovation. Three executives discuss how to make sure that superstar talent doesn't overshadow the personality of your brand. And a former Scotland Yard negotiator explains the interpersonal and listening skills that you need to negotiate effectively.