Monthly Archives: April 2011

Air traffic controllers sleeping in their towers are emblematic of a much larger problem: how employers hurt American competitiveness through scheduling practices that create a bleed of back-end costs. “They fall asleep because of the shifts they work,” said a … Continue reading →

Bob Pozen, author of the May HBR article Extreme Productivity, has worked as a top mutual fund executive, an attorney, a government official, a law school professor, a business school professor and a prolific author—often doing several jobs at once. Here he presents a few practical tips for getting more done.

Very few people succeed in business without a degree of confidence. Yet everyone, from young people in their first real jobs to seasoned leaders in the upper ranks of organizations, have moments — or days, months, or even years — … Continue reading →

Companies today are paranoid, afraid that even their allies will steal their business. Yet a creative collaboration with your biggest competitor may be the best opportunity for revenue and survival. But remember that dancing with the wolves can also get … Continue reading →

Featured Guest: Pankaj Ghemawat, IESE Business School professor. He is the author of World 3.0: Global Prosperity and How to Achieve It and the HBR article The Cosmopolitan Corporation. Download this podcast

This post is part of Creating a Customer-Centered Organization. Some CEOs truly crave direct customer contact. Apple’s Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, are well known for directly emailing and engaging with their customers. I know … Continue reading →

Recently, I read an article in which a developmental psychologist cited a mountain of evidence showing that IQ was one of the most significant predictors of emotional resiliency in children. The same pattern has also long been seen in the … Continue reading →

Tis the season when public companies publish their 10Ks, complete with the Compensation Disclosure and Analysis section revealing the pay of their five most highly paid officers, including the highest paid of all, the CEO. When these figures are made … Continue reading →

The numbers don’t lie: Inflation is coming back. Let economists debate the monetary nuances of QE2 and argue whether the (American) government’s core inflation measures make sense but households worldwide know that prices are going up. Oil-based products and food … Continue reading →

Question: What does Oprah Winfrey have in common with World War II General George S. Patton? Answer: Being an avid diarist. Recently, Oprah offered her readers glimpses into her diaries, along with encouragement to keep their own. Many well-known figures … Continue reading →