At my first job, a 20-person computer company, the CEO sat in his glass-walled office while the rest of us busted our butts creating the product. I used to look at him and wonder, “What does a CEO do?”
Now that I coach CEOs, I know. Sadly, many of them don’t…
This isn't exactly a business topic, but an article caught my eye about people who get scientific degrees based on traditional science, then use their credential to lend support to non-scientific groups....
When an ex-boss calls who wasn’t your favorite, wanting to reopen a friendship, what do you do?
Ok. I can't keep quiet about this any longer. It's driving me nuts. I just read a story titled $2 million US settlement in Boston TV ad bomb hoax. This is a fine example of how the wrong words can do damage, even when intending to inform. "Bomb hoax" implies intent to...
In an article on Reuters, Steven Anderson, the National Restaurant Association's Chief Executive, has asked that an ad starring Kevin Federline as a fast-food worker leaves the impression that "working in a restaurant is demeaning and unpleasant and asking the...
In a recent New York Times article on CEO pay, the reporter closely examines pay practices where companies use peer groups to justify CEO pay. But they don't disclose who those peers are, allowing CEOs to inflate their pay by carefully choosing the peer group. That...
I just ran across this article on how consultants (mis-)measure productivity in software development. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2006/11/10b.html Sad to say, I couldn't agree more with the article. I started my career as a software engineer, and I've met very...
I was just reading an article on the impending water shortage. Most of us are totally in the dark about it, but for years, people who track such things have been warning that our water usage is coming close to surpassing the world's available fresh water supply. MIT's...
Insurance is a weird beast. Basically, we all band together and put in money so if any of us hits misfortune, the pooled money can be used to help out. It works because typically, most of us do fine, and we can cover the misfortunates. This is basically what...
Wow. I knew we were in deep sneakers when it came to the preparedness of our next generation to become productive members of society. I had no idea how bad it's become. "According to scores on the 2006 ACT college entrance exam, 21 percent of students applying to...