Author: Harry Kraemer

Becoming a Global Leader

Becoming a Global Leader

Posted by | Jul 12, 2023 | , , , |

One piece of advice I give to my Northwestern Kellogg students (as well as my children but not sure I get their attention 😉) is the importance of reading as broad an array of books as possible on a consistent basis. And to be clear, I am not talking about business books. Yes, if you are in business, it is a good idea to know the business basics. However, if you are interested in becoming a well-rounded global leader, I believe it is critical to have a broad understanding of history, political science, religion, philosophy — in fact all of the liberal arts.

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Humility, Love, and Service Leadership

Humility, Love, and Service Leadership

Posted by | Jul 3, 2023 | , , , |

I had the opportunity this weekend to participate in the Coaches 100 annual meeting in Nashville, TN. There were several amazing speakers and panelists, and as usual, I took a lot of notes. I will highlight some of the talks in future posts, but I wanted to highlight in this post comments from Alan Mulally, the retired CEO of Ford Motor Company and Boeing Commercial Airlines. Alan is an excellent example of what I believe is a true values-based leader, and a special friend.

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A “Father’s Day” Wish

A “Father’s Day” Wish

Posted by | Jun 19, 2023 | , , , |

One of my daughters asked me what I would like for a Father’s Day present, and rather than thinking of material things, it caused me to become a little “self reflective” (I’m sure that is not a surprise to many of you who know me 😉). After thinking about the question, I realized the best gift I could receive would be everyone helping each other to “Bridge the Divide.” Let me explain.

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Ask Harry #8: Why do the majority of acquisitions fail and how to avoid failure?

Ask Harry #8: Why do the majority of acquisitions fail and how to avoid failure?

Posted by | Jun 12, 2023 | , , , |

One of Kellogg’s first and most popular executive programs is “Merger & Acquisition Week.” It was started by Professor Al Rapport more than 50 years ago. I am fortunate to teach a section of the course that I call “Lessons from the Battlefield.” I remember as a Kellogg student reading that almost 80% of acquisitions did not earn their cost of capital, that is, the acquiring company’s shareholders would have been better off if the acquisition had not taken place. Interesting enough, the success rate has not changed much in the past 50 years. I will summarize the seven major reasons why I believe so many acquisitions fail and what you can do to avoid failure and increase the success rate.

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