Sometimes there’s a article that’s both current and essential reading for leaders. If the heart of leadership, as we’ve often argued, is mobilizing people around decisions–it’s vital we look at examples of decision processes that lead to action. The best tutorial is to examine specific cases, for good or for bad, of the decision process.
For the last three months we’ve watched President Obama struggle with his decision regarding Afghanistan. A superb presentation of his decision …

Reading newspapers today is like making bread. It takes hours and you get your hands dirty. It’s a tradition best reserved for the long weekend.
Between meetings and overseas calls it’s easier to read the day’s top stories online. You might have a personalized Google News page or a Google reader account. You might scan the most-read section of the New York Times. You might refresh Drudgereport every 5 minutes…

What does success feel like? It’s an important question for leaders to ask.
The fine line between being a caring boss or an intrusive boos is nearly impossible to see. Make sure you watch where you step.
Gary E. McCullough, president of Career Education Corporation, tells the New York Times some of his best leadership lessons. It’s all about candy bars!
After spending 7,280 hours on social media websites–what can you learn? These 10 lessons should be required …

Cloud computing, a term originating from an old network designers’ icon, is really just the ability to access and use everything you normally work with and need on your PC–without your PC. In other words, it’s the ability to hop on the Internet, or hop in the ‘cloud’, and start working on your spreadsheets, updating your order-forms, and listening to your music without your PC, your flash drive, or your external hard drive. However, even …

In today’s New York Times, David Brooks astutely points out that the challenge for GM is cultural, and not simply structural or financial. He notes:
On Jan. 21, 1988, a General Motors executive named Elmer Johnson wrote a brave and prophetic memo. Its main point was contained in this sentence: “We have vastly underestimated how deeply ingrained are the organizational and cultural rigidities that hamper our ability to execute.”
On Jan. 26, 2009, Rob Kleinbaum, a former …

Tim Geithner, Treasury secretary, may have too much on his plate according to today’s New York Times.
However, the NY Time’s picture heading the article says it all. Solid proactive leadership requires a focus on your ‘outgoing’ box. Worrying about a teetering ‘incoming’ box won’t produce results.