Sometimes, there are no simple or easy solutions to gray area problems. Or, put differently, the "solution" is working intelligently, with many other people, for months or even years - guided by a basic direction and a few central values that really matter to you and others.

Tempered intuition is more than beneficial. It's usually critical to resolving gray area problems. In other words, in the end, these problems are resolved by someone in a position of authority saying this is what I think we should do and will do to address this problem.

Don't assume that your personal moral compass, however admirable it may be, will always give you the right answer to complicated questions that require in-depth analysis.

Communication can't always follow the top-down model. With the fluidity of information in business today, leaders need to be masterful listeners; they need to be able to receive as well as send.

Hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something important, the way to get power is by sharing it.

I think that, in general, when you want to make a case, It important to be as clear and honest and persuasive as you can be about stating the opposite case, rather than attacking strawmen.

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher, but a turning point for me was attending HBS as an MBA student. What I experienced was the power of the case method - that is, how much students can learn, not by listening to lectures, but by engaging in an intense discussion. This can be an exciting way to learn and a powerful one, because it really gets all the synapses to connect.