Leadership by Geoff Colvin

Peter Gelb: Bringing opera back from the dead

Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb has his work cut out for him. Interview by Shelley DuBois

How to groom Gen Y to take the company reins

Start talking about younger workers, and pretty soon the word "entitled" comes up. But several companies have started programs to help the younger set learn the corporate ropes. By Katherine Reynolds Lewis

Sam Palmisano's legacy of leadership at IBM

The CEO steps down leaving his company in great shape.  Will that legacy last?

By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large

FORTUNE -- Really good CEOs are rare partly because they use all of their brains. Most people don't. We carry around either massive left brains -- logical, analytical, not very touchy-feely -- or, more rarely in today's world, we rely on big right brains -- imaginative, feeling, intuitive, uncomfortable with algebra. Running a giant MORE

Warren Buffett: The people's Businessperson of the Year

Bezos may be on fire, but the Oracle wins in the end. By Shelley DuBois

Howard Schultz brews strong coffee at Starbucks

He rescued the coffee chain. It had record financial results this year. Now the CEO is on a campaign to save the country from its politicians. Here's how he blends capitalism and activism.

By David A. Kaplan, contributor

FORTUNE -- The president of the United States wasn't on the phone to talk about Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Back in September, two days before Barack Obama delivered his speech to Congress on jobs, he put MORE

Group therapy for executives

True North Groups - a safe place for executives to work on self-awareness - can help build the types of leaders we so need.

By Bill George, contributor

FORTUNE -- In the past ten years there has been a dearth of corporate leadership -- as evidenced by the dot-com bust, the collapse of such companies as WorldCom and Enron, and the financial crisis. This period could be characterized as "leadership's lost MORE

How to be a leader at IBM

Fortune sat down with Randy MacDonald, IBM's worldwide HR czar, to learn how the company trains global leaders.

Interview by Richard McGill Murphy, contributor

FORTUNE -- Q: What does it take to lead at IBM?

A: There's a maniacal focus on execution. If you say you're going to deliver, you're held accountable. Leaders also need to create an atmosphere of creativity and innovation, and I think we do that here. We find that MORE

What we can learn from Jon Corzine

Quit while you are quietly behind.

By Shelley DuBois, writer-reporter

FORTUNE -- Jon Corzine, what were you thinking? It's going to be tough to salvage the good parts of a long, lucrative career in finance after the dust clears from this current mess, even in its rosiest of outcomes.

Friday, Corzine announced that after about a year holding the job, he is resigning his position as CEO of brokerage firm MF Global (MFGLQ). MORE

The telltale symptoms of troubled companies

A recently published list of the 10 most troubled corporations highlights just how difficult it is to properly address rampant cronyism on many major companies' boards. By Elizabeth G. Olson

Why execs turn to grandma for business advice

Quaint as it may sound, successful executives often turn to the insights they gleaned from grandparents to navigate today's business world. By Vickie Elmer