FEMA employees have not necessarily been supportive of him atop the role as acting director of FEMA, Barron-Lopez said. She continued: He made news when, at the beginning, he came in and held an all-hands meeting with FEMA employees and essentially said that he and he alone spoke for FEMA. He said that that he was the one who was fully in charge, and that he wanted people to be paying attention to him directly.
More than two decades of research-from Harvard professor Amy Edmondson's pioneering studies to Google's landmark Project Aristotle-have found that the strongest predictor of high-performing teams isn't talent or strategy, but psychological safety. As Edmondson defines, it's "a shared belief held by team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." It's what gives people the confidence to speak up, take creative risks, and learn from failure-and it's foundational to innovation.
I spent over 30 years in hospitality, and after leading three different hotel companies, I became CEO of Equinox. Then I went through some personal turbulence. Business Insider's Power Hours series gives readers an inside look at how powerful leaders in business structure their workday. See more stories from the series here, or reach out to editor Lauryn Haas to share your daily routine. In 2017, my home burned to the ground from the California wildfires.
Why do you think Leader Schumer is to blame, given that Republicans have control, as [Sen.] Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is saying, of the White House and both chambers of Congress? Host Kristen Welker asked. He said he agreed with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that Schumer was a good leader under President Joe Biden , and that he also agreed with Sen. Shaheen that President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) deserved most of the blame for the shutdown.
As a professor of negotiation and influence, I've observed a fascinating consistency in my students: They instinctively value behavioral concepts-the art of rapport, the dynamics of power, and the science of persuasion. Yet, they often struggle with their practical application. It's the classic gap between knowing and doing. On the surface, the principles seem simple (e.g., engage in conversation, listen, be friendly), but applying them effectively in high-stakes environments is the true rigor of leadership.
It wasn't that they were superhuman. It's that they learned faster, they were more adaptable and they had structures ... institutionalized methods for being able to neutralize their excesses and capitalize on their strength and edge.
"I have blind, crazy, crazy trust that he's got what he's working on," Sakkijha said, adding that they're both "in it to win it." Masad said one advantage of working together is their ability to be direct. That level of openness helps the business move more quickly, he said. Both said that working together also brings out their individual strengths. Masad said he sees himself as detail-oriented, data-driven, and passionate about problem-solving and strategy, while Sakkijha thrives in communication, decision-making, and emotional intelligence.
Raised in Ceres, a small town in Central California, he grew up in a large Sicilian family where hard work and community values shaped his outlook. Excelling in both academics and sport, he graduated as valedictorian of his high school and earned recognition as MVP on the football field while leading his baseball team as catcher. In 1984, Chipponeri graduated with honours from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering.
"My mom taught me English, and she doesn't speak English," Huang said. "And that kind of tells you all." Huang was born in Taiwan, and his family moved to Thailand before he and his older brother were sent to the US when he was nine for a better education. He has previously said that his mother, who spoke Taiwanese Hokkien, began teaching them English to prepare them for the move to the US.
Owing to a few bad penalties and giveaways early, the Bruins built a 4-1 lead in just over 20 minutes. As Toronto started to rally back, Max Domi took a penalty, and Boston put the game to bed. It was a frustrating watch for Leafs fans who continue to tune in nightly with the expectation that the team has learned some lessons from the last game, only to make the same mistakes.
Culture does not scale linearly with revenue or headcount -it requires intentionality the faster you grow. When I joined DPR Construction in the early 1990s, we were a small startup with a shared vision. Today, we have over 13,000 employees worldwide. Along the way, we've learned that sustaining culture through growth isn't automatic-it takes clarity, intention, and continual reinforcement. With growth, we faced a familiar challenge many companies do:
Leaders aren't failing because they don't have a strategy or skill. They are stuck because of their internal battles-their self-talk-not because of the challenges happening with customers or in the market. Headamentals is about directing that inner voice so that it becomes a competitive advantage and helps you build great teams. Once you fix that conversation in your head, you fix how you lead, connect, and perform. Leading others starts with self-leadership.
When values are held too tightly, they can harden into rigidity, alienate others, or even undermine the very goals they were meant to advance. Applying values too strongly can create a paradox for leaders: how to hold onto values without them becoming vices and how to retain the "value" of values without undermining the service they exist to support.Every value has a shadow side. Empathy can morph into overaccommodation, integrity into inflexibility, and accountability into blame.
When you think of leaders you admire, you likely imagine them as authentic, at least in the sense of seeming genuine, real, and trustworthy. Science confirms this is usually the case. For example, data tells us that trustworthy leaders stand out for their "no thrills" patterns of behavior: They are, in other words, predictable, reliable, and unlikely to shock their employees or followers with erratic or excitable behavior that freaks them out.
I bet you remember when Nike first began using their catchphrase: "Just Do It!" It was 1988, and this tagline could be found everywhere. It was a challenge to act, to initiate, to take a risk, to move forward even if it's hard. After 37 years, Nike is reintroducing this iconic rallying cry to Generation Z, but they are tailoring their message to the Gen Z mindset: "Why Do It?" It is customized to meet young athletes where they are.
For Camille, a student in the Urban and Public Affairs program, USF is where policy meets purpose. This program has helped me really understand how cities work and how they can work better for everyone, she says. My grad degree will be a stepping stone as I gain new leadership skills and establish my career. It's opening doors for me as I keep my commitment to social justice and equity.
If they ask you a question, you've got to respond to me directly and not go up that chain of command. The chain of command starts to edit it and fine-tune it. The bureaucracy does want to control you, so you've got to kill the bureaucracy.
When we talk about leadership, the focus is almost always on what you do. Communication. Influence. Strategic thinking. Decision-making. Performance.But the foundation that holds all of those things together, and that determines how well you can actually show up for them, is often overlooked: Your energy.We see this every day in our coaching and Women Rising programs. Brilliant, capable women who know what's required of them but are too depleted to consistently deliver at the level they expect of themselves.
Recent research suggests that the influence of good mentoring goes way beyond improved vocational performance, although it certainly does that. Good mentors help mentees to feel safe, supported, and seen through feedback (both positive and critical) and other cues. This is how effective mentorship contributes to a sense of psychological safety. Mentees also enjoy a stronger sense of belonging and community, which is why having a good mentor is especially important early in our careers.
At Fortune's Most Powerful Women summit last month, he said he expects full attention from everyone in the room. "If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you're reading your email or getting notifications, I tell you to close the damn thing," he told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. It's disrespectful.
Managers are often spinning several plates: leading by example, setting and exceeding goals for your team, keeping workflow moving, providing support, and keeping employees motivated, engaged, and productive . . . all while adhering to your company's objectives. If you haven't done it before, it can be overwhelming. It's almost like having to activate an entirely new part of your brain. Luckily, experts say creating "boss brain" is within anyone's reach, regardless of leadership experience . . . or lack thereof.
