“Executives of public companies are maniacally focused on the stock price; it’s one of the reasons that we’re really suffering today.”
What makes for truly effective, trustworthy business leadership in today’s complex environment?
In this “In Session” interview, Judy Samuelson, the Executive Director of the Business & Society Program, highlights lessons for business leaders focused on long-term success.
Lesson 1: Language Matters in Building Trust
Why does language matter? Investors and employees constantly listen for a consistent narrative, comparing a leader’s stated values against how employees are compensated, what the market rewards, and what the business model is actually designed to do. Inconsistency between a leader’s rhetoric and the firm’s reality can deeply harm public trust.
Lesson 2: The Best Business Leaders Multitask
The best leaders, Judy says, do not fall into the trap of focusing on a single function, such as the stock price, which often dominates public markets and can be detrimental to long-term health. Instead, they successfully balance immediate, short-term pressures with longer-term strategic thinking.
Lesson 3: Systems-Level Problems Require Persistence, Not Patience
Finally, Judy argues that persistence is more important than patience when tackling systems-level problems. Because institutional and systemic change occurs slowly, leaders addressing deep-seated challenges do best when they understand the difference.