THE KETS DE VRIES INSTITUTE

"A large chair doesn’t make a king"

Lessons in Destructive Leadership from Africa

Africa is a cautionary example of the need for checks and balances against the abuse of power.

INSEAD Knowledge, Oct 2016

"For many executives walking away can be the hardest part of the job"

Prepare Your Exit From the Start

As a leader you need to focus on your successors early in the game. Doing so will not only underpin the long-term sustainability of your enterprise, it may give you a shot at immortality.

INSEAD Knowledge, Sep 2016

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"How would you like to be remembered?"

The Epitaph Question

How would you like to be remembered? What would you like to be your epitaph? Thoughts about our legacy can influence our life’s trajectory. Consciously or unconsciously, they impact our life’s choices. Thinking about how you would like to be remembered can be a catalyst for radical change.

INSEAD Knowledge, Sep 2016

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"Leadership in the age of rage"

Reflective Leaders Needed in the Age of Rage

When collective emotions gather steam, knee jerk reactions can make a bad situation worse.

INSEAD Knowledge, Aug 2016

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"How to manage brilliant but tumultuous leaders"

Managing Thrill Seekers

Thrill-seeking employees' addiction to risk can create havoc in the workplace. Managed correctly, their fearlessness can be a great advantage to any organisation.

INSEAD Knowledge, Jul 2016

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"Personailty and techno-stress"

The Human Cost of Digital Technologies

As companies race towards digitisation, the expectation that people in organisations need to be permanently on-call is creating very human challenges. This blog reports on a research study lwhich looks at how individuals cope with technostress, and the mediating role personality plays.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2016

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"Harems and fawning power plays"

Leadership “Harem” Style

When there’s no specific goal or role for its members, and constructive discussion makes way for fawning power plays, executive teams become little more than harems for dysfunctional leaders.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2016

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"Insatiable desire for more can be destructive"

Seven Signs of The Greed Syndrome

It is said that without greed we would still be living in caves but, left unchecked, the insatiable desire for more and better material things can be destructive.

INSEAD Knowledge, Apr 2016

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"Leaders need emotional intelligence to create meaning"

Evolving Leadership in the Digital Age

To have executives change character will always be an uphill struggle but they can learn to improve their behavioural reactions to difficult situations and develop greater emotional intelligence that will turn them into more effective leaders.

INSEAD Knowledge, Apr 2016

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"When drive and commitment are too much"

Are You an Alpha Male Leader?

This blog looks at the place for alpha-like behaviour in organisations. It argues that the need the drive, competitiveness and commitment of such leaders should be balanced with models of leadership that connect, build and nurture.

INSEAD Knowledge, Mar 2016

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"M&As: The untold story"

Making Mergers Less of a Crapshoot

This blog looks at the very human factors are at play in mergers and acquisitions. Paying attention to them can increase ones chance of success.

INSEAD Knowledge, Feb 2016

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"A holistic approach to business education"

Finding Balance in Business Education

To create responsible leaders of the future, business schools need to adopt a more holistic approach to education.

INSEAD Knowledge, Nov 2015

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"Denialism, office politics, productivity"

Blinded by Belief

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review explores how denialists can have a devastating effect on office politics and productivity.

INSEAD Knowledge, Aug 2015

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"The uses of humour in the workplace"

The Dark Side of a Funny Situation

This blog looks at the sources of humor and to distunguish between humour that is congenial and empathetic and humour that is dysfunctional and divisive.

INSEAD Knowledge, Jun 2015

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"Fairy tales for today’s executives"

Leadership Lessons from the Brothers Grimm

This blog looks at the leadership journey as a fairy tale and cautions against the five deadly dangers of leadership.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2015

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"Let's talk about sex in the boardroom"

The Sexual “Cloud” in the Executive Suite

Manfred Kets de Vries explores whether sex and man’s unconscious drive for survival are keeping women locked out of the C-suite.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2015

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"Assessing psychological risk factors of leaders"

How Is Our Pilot Feeling Today?: A Courageous Conversation That Could Make a Difference

This blog presents a quick assessment of psychological risk factors for high performing individuals.

INSEAD Knowledge, Apr 2015

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"Learning to manage in the gray zone"

The Importance of Seeing the World in Shades of Grey

This blog argues that executives who see the world in stark contrasts miss the nuances of situations and are less able to compromise to meet common interests.

INSEAD Knowledge, Apr 2015

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"Managing those who won't see the middle ground"

How to Manage Someone Who Can't Handle Ambiguity

This blog entry for the Harvard Business Review explores how one can manage leaders who see things in black and white, unable to accept a middle ground.

Harvard Business Review, Mar 2015

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"Differences as assets"