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Fortune
Fortune
Preston Fore

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla's best leadership advice: Being optimistic is better than being right

Albert Bourla Pfizer
Albert Bourla (Credit: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)

As the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla led the team behind one of the most consequential medical breakthroughs of the modern era: the COVID-19 vaccine that saved millions of lives.

Yet the leadership mindset that guides Bourla as he runs a nearly $150 billion pharmaceutical giant isn’t just about science or strategy. It’s about psychology—specifically, balancing optimism with realism.

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