Dr. Joshua Margolis

Professor at Harvard Business School

About Dr. Joshua Margolis

Dr. Margolis is an accomplished professor at Harvard Business School in the field of leadership and ethics. According to his bio, he “is an expert in complex situations involving tradeoffs. In particular, he focuses on the distinctive ethical challenges that arise in organizations and how managers can navigate perform-or-else settings.”

A Preview of His Refounder Story – Chapter 11: Remaining a Refounder

Psychological research shows that each of us has a unique way of coping with both personal and professional adversity. Some cut and run. Some can’t let go of the past and try to hold on to the status quo. Some reimagine and fight to change the status quo. In their Harvard Business Review article, “How to Bounce Back from Adversity,” Joshua Margolis and Paul Stoltz stated, “Resilient managers move quickly from analysis to a plan of action (and reaction). After the onset of adversity, they shift from cause-oriented thinking to response-oriented thinking, and their focus is strictly forward.”

Dr. Margolis shared his thoughts about great business leaders, including great Refounders. He starts with a foundational truth. Any successful business endeavor, whether founding or refounding, requires a sort of singularly minded focus, a fierce conviction. Still, he says, there’s a difference between having a fierce conviction and being closed-minded. Business leaders must be both convicted and open-minded. They must continue to employ a learner’s mindset in everything they do, particularly as the facts and circumstances of the world change. But what is a learner’s mentality?

To read Dr. Joshua Margolis’s Refounder story in full, order the book.

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Professor at Harvard Business School

Joshua Margolis is James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration and the Unit Head for the Organizational Behavior unit. He is also Faculty Chair of the Program for Leadership Development and Faculty Chair of the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning. His research and teaching revolve around leadership and ethics. He has taught courses on Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Leadership and Corporate Accountability, Authentic Leadership Development, and Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD).

How to Bounce Back from Adversity - Harvard Business Review

Things are humming along, and then: A top client calls and says, “We’re switching suppliers, starting next month. I’m afraid your company no longer figures into our plans.” Or three colleagues, all of whom joined the organization around the same time you did, are up for promotion—but you aren’t. Or your team loses another good person in a third round of layoffs; weak markets or no, you still need to make your numbers, but now you’ll have to rely heavily on two of the most uncooperative members of the group. So how do you react?

Dr. Joshua Margolis on LinkedIn

James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School