JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Surprising Success of Hands-On Leaders.

  • Published In: Harvard Business Review, 2025, v. 103, n. 6. P. 72 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Cook, Scott; Nohria, Nitin 3 of 3

Abstract

The article examines how CEOs at high-performing companies—Amazon, Danaher, RELX, and Toyota—redefine leadership by deeply engaging in the day-to-day execution of work rather than solely focusing on high-level strategy. Leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Larry Culp, Erik Engstrom, and Eiji Toyoda prioritize designing work processes, obsessing over customer-value metrics, using experimentation for decision-making, teaching operational tool kits, and fostering continuous improvement. This hands-on, system-building approach empowers frontline teams with autonomy and clarity, creating cultures of relentless improvement and distributed decision-making. The article argues that this integrated leadership style, which balances strategic vision with operational fluency, is a significant source of sustained competitive advantage.

Additional Information

  • Source:Harvard Business Review. 2025/11, Vol. 103, Issue 6, p72
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Business and Management
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0017-8012
  • Accession Number:188661122
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