The Leadership in Action Series: On Strategic Leadership

Capital Ideas: Enhancing the Power of Human Assets

Gary Yukl and Richard Lepsinger

In today’s rapidly changing and competitive business environment, organizations and their leaders must pay attention to an asset that is sometimes given short shrift—human capital, the skills and motivation of the organization’s employees. Leaders at all levels can have a strong influence on human capital through a combination of relations-oriented behaviors and human resource management programs.

When most people think about organizational capital, they think about such things as production plants, equipment, property, and other tangible assets that contribute to yielding revenue and other desired results. But in today’s increasingly volatile business environment, ...