What would you say if someone asked you, “Would you be in favor of a gas tax?” My guess is, “no thanks.” You’re not alone. In a recent survey, when asked, “Would you support the idea of a gas tax?” 85 percent of the people questioned said no and only 12 percent said yes. Not [...]

Whether you are a figure skater or the CEO of a corporation, there are certain fundamentals that must be set in place in order to succeed. Both need a plan that needs to be communicated and executed in a very public arena. Both get judged on how they perform with almost heartless objectivity. As we’ve [...]

Like a lot of people, I find it easier to analyze someone else’s challenges than my own. It’s just easier to be objective when your own actions aren’t in question. What’s happening at Ford offers the perfect chance to look at something outside our own companies and learn important lessons that might help us as [...]

Last year I addressed a group of marketing execs for large national law firms.  I asked “How many of you have strategic plans?” and took a show of hands.  Only about 20% of them raised their hands.  Strategic Planning is like exercise and eating right — we all know we should do it, but we [...]

As the lead director of a public company board, I’m fortunate to be on the front line of trends in American business governance as they take shape.  Today when people talk about governance, they’re immediately drawn into a discussion about Sarbanes-Oxley or complicance issues.  But most public companies have these issues well in hand.  They’ve [...]