Negotiation Principles that affect Policy

To understand why the deal on the government shutdown and border security reached by Congress, and signed by the President, succeeded the second time, it’s a must to understand why it failed the first time. As Santayana extolls, “those that ignore history are destined...

Davos or Bust

The World Economic Forum’s annual Davos gathering—the most celebrated of all the international policy conferences—is so coveted an invitation that it is on the bucket list of almost every industry executive and government leader with global ambitions. Who can blame...

CEOs Veer into the Celebrity Lane

CEO’s have generally been a shy lot, not wanting to draw attention to themselves or their firms.  Quarterly earnings reports were enough publicity.  CEO’s were, traditionally, all about business.  But that’s changed over the last few years. ...

Growing up and Moving on: Zuckerberg and Facebook

Make no mistake, Wall Street is conferencing, shareholders are whispering, users are wounded, and politicians are watching. By any reasonable standard in corporate America, Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive officer of Facebook, the company he founded with...

Why Business Leaders often Fail and Politics and Policy

The idea of a corporate executive turning into a politician and policymaker is gaining momentum. Starbucks’ Howard Shultz has teased his interest in running for president, following in the footsteps of entrepreneur/reality TV star Mark Cuban and celebrity media titan...

What Happens when Good and Great Leadership Conjoin?

The world tends toward continuums. Hot and cold have warm and cool along the way. Big and small have all manner of magnitude in the middle. Even black and white have hues between. Winter, spring, summer, and fall represent varying points along a gradual scale marking...

The Return of the Larger than Life Leader

Inevitably and rightly so, a New Year summons reflection. What happened, why it happened, and what can be done about it will be a prevalent theme. The focus is typically on specific events, as specific events allow for clear diagnoses, prognoses, and prescriptions....

4 Self-Improvement Myths That May Be Holding You Back

Advice on how to improve one’s self is everywhere. It accounts for about 2.5% of all book sales in the United States. Add in speeches, training programs, TV programs, online-products, coaches, yoga, and the like, self-help is a $10 billion industry per year, and...