HBR On Leadership: How to Bring Out the Best in Your Team

Release Date: April 30, 2025

Introduction

In the episode titled "How to Bring Out the Best in Your Team," hosted by Alison Beard from the Harvard Business Review (HBR) On Leadership series, Harvard Business School Professor Frances Fry delves into the core elements that define effective leadership. Departing from the traditional view of leadership as an inherent trait, Fry emphasizes that leadership is a cultivated set of skills aimed at fostering growth and engagement within teams. This comprehensive discussion explores building trust, embodying authenticity, logical communication, empathy, and the nuanced concept of "love" in leadership.

Building Trust: The Foundation of Effective Leadership

Professor Fry posits that trust is the cornerstone of effective leadership, more so than charisma or vision. She identifies three actionable components of trust—authenticity, logic, and empathy—that leaders must cultivate to enhance their team's performance.

• Authenticity: Fry emphasizes the importance of leaders being genuine. She notes, “Do you sense that it's the real me talking to you... if you question any of those three, the first thing to go is trust” (02:28). Authenticity fosters an environment where team members feel safe to express their true selves, leading to more robust decision-making and inclusion.

• Logic: Establishing credibility through sound reasoning is crucial. Fry advises leaders to prioritize substance over style in their communication. She explains, “If I take you on a journey and give me all of that context... it's lethal for a logic wobbler” (05:01). By starting with the point and supporting it with evidence, leaders can convey their messages more effectively.

• Empathy: In times of crisis, empathy becomes particularly vital. Fry states, “If I'm checking my email or texting someone, I am not present to you. I'm multitasking... people will question my empathy immediately” (07:02). Leaders must be fully present to demonstrate genuine concern for their team's well-being.

Authenticity in Leadership

Fry elaborates on fostering authenticity within leadership roles. She emphasizes that leaders must not only be authentic themselves but also create environments where team members feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. “As a leader, my job is to enhance the performance of other people. What I have to do is make sure that people feel safe to be their authentic self” (03:25). This dual responsibility ensures that diversity and individuality contribute positively to the team's dynamics and collective decision-making.

Logical Communication: Building Credibility

When discussing logic, Fry differentiates between substance and style. She highlights that effective leaders often struggle not with the strength of their arguments but with how they present them. “Start first with the point, and then give the supporting evidence” (05:01). By adopting a straightforward approach, leaders can avoid diluting their messages and maintain clarity, thereby reinforcing their logical credibility.

Empathy: Being Present for Your Team

Empathy, according to Fry, is about being genuinely present and attentive to others' needs. She underscores that during crises, leaders must prioritize being fully engaged with their team members. “If you are self-distracted, it's about me and not about you... you can't do both at the same time” (07:02). This undivided attention helps in maintaining trust and demonstrating that the leader values and understands their team's experiences.

The Role of Love in Leadership

Fry introduces the concept of "love" in leadership, defined by a leader’s high standards coupled with a deep devotion to their team’s success. She explains, “If I wanted to bring out the best in you, I would make sure that you felt really high standards from me... and my deep devotion to your success” (08:38). This balance prevents leaders from appearing either overly strict or uncaring, fostering an environment where high performance and personal growth coexist harmoniously.

Example of Effective Leadership: Carlos Rodriguez Pastor

To illustrate effective leadership, Fry shares the example of Carlos Rodriguez Pastor from Peru. Pastor exemplifies balancing high standards with unwavering dedication to his team's development. Fry notes, “He sets super high standards for people... but he's also deeply devoted to people” (12:07). His approach not only maintains meritocratic principles but also builds a loyal and high-performing team, as demonstrated by his unique rewards system that aligns with individual contributions and needs.

Leadership at Scale: Strategy and Culture

As organizations grow, leaders must adapt to managing larger teams with less direct interaction. Fry identifies strategy and culture as the two primary levers for guiding discretionary behavior in a leader’s absence.

• Strategy: Clear strategy provides a roadmap that aligns team members’ decisions with organizational goals. Fry asserts, “When strategy is clear, that takes a whole bunch of discretionary decisions off the table” (17:05).

• Culture: Culture fills the gaps left by strategy, addressing the “how” of day-to-day operations. It dictates behaviors and attitudes, ensuring consistency across various situations. Fry highlights, “Culture tells us how things are really done around here” (17:05).

Case Studies: Transforming Cultures at HBS, Uber, and Riot Games

Fry shares her experiences in leading cultural transformations at Harvard Business School (HBS), Uber, and Riot Games.

• Harvard Business School: Faced with lower grades and satisfaction among women, international, domestic, and LGBT students, Fry implemented the field method to complement the traditional case method. This approach provided varied avenues for students to showcase their strengths, resulting in closed achievement and satisfaction gaps (19:30).

• Uber and Riot Games: Both companies encountered misaligned cultural values leading to crises. Fry emphasizes the importance of involving the entire organization in redefining cultural values to prevent weaponization. “We invited the entire company to come up and author the new cultural values” (24:00). This inclusive process ensured that the new values were widely accepted and effectively integrated into the organizational fabric.

Conclusion

Professor Frances Fry’s insights provide a nuanced understanding of leadership as a skill set centered on trust, authenticity, logic, empathy, and a balanced form of love. By implementing clear strategies and fostering positive cultures, leaders can effectively guide their teams towards exceptional performance and personal growth. The case studies of HBS, Uber, and Riot Games exemplify how these principles can be successfully applied to drive meaningful and sustainable change within organizations.

Notable Quotes

• On Trust as the Foundation: “So if trust is the starting point for good leadership today, how do you build it with employees?” (01:48)

• On Authenticity: “As a leader, my job is to enhance the performance of other people... make sure that people feel safe to be their authentic self” (03:25)

• On Logical Communication: “flip it, start with the point, and then give the supporting evidence” (06:16)

• On Empathy During Crisis: “If I'm checking my email or texting someone, I am not present to you” (07:02)

• On Love in Leadership: “the only way that's going to work is if you also experience my deep devotion to your success” (08:38)

• On Cultural Transformation: “Meaningful change happens quickly or it doesn't happen at all” (19:30)

For more insights and episodes from HBR On Leadership, visit hbr.org.

Timestamps

• 01:48 – Introduction to Trust as a Leadership Foundation
• 02:26 – Breakdown of Trust into Three Components
• 03:25 – Authenticity in Leadership
• 05:01 – Logical Communication in Leadership
• 06:16 – Addressing Flaws in Logic
• 07:02 – Building Empathy as a Leader
• 08:38 – The Concept of Love in Leadership
• 12:07 – Example of Carlos Rodriguez Pastor
• 17:05 – Leadership at Scale: Strategy and Culture
• 19:30 – Cultural Transformation at HBS
• 24:00 – Cultural Transformation at Uber and Riot Games

Note: Timestamps correspond to the podcast transcript and are provided for reference to specific discussions within the episode.