Ethics
When to Spill the Beans to Your Team
Confidentiality is sometimes necessary--but also uncomfortable, especially in small firms. This post offers a good framework for determining when to share and when to keep mum.
CEOs (A Bit) More Trusted Than Government
Edelman's annual trust barometer survey finds CEOs are not viewed as reliable sources of information. Shocking! Still more trusted than governmental leaders in many countries, but that's not saying much these...
How to be a Lie Spotter
Want to figure out reliably who's blowing smoke? Pamela Meyer's book Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception shows how to spot and deal with deceit--our own and others'.
'Higher Ambition' Leadership
A new book, Higher Ambition: How Great Leaders Create Economic and Social Value, analyzes how some CEOs lead to grow revenue and profit while also creating value for non-owner stakeholders.
CEOs Acting Badly
A leadership expert shares disturbing but all-too-common anecdotes and strategies for avoiding temptation and transgression. This new, small volume is a compilation of common types of errors made by mostly...
When Leaders Lose Their Way
Harvard Business School Prof Bill George compares the lapses of numerous one-time leaders in a thoughtful and cautionary piece. Know anyone who has veered from the straight and narrow? Could it happen to you?...
(Powerful) Men Behaving Badly
Schwartzenegger and Strauss-Kahn are the latest in a series of successful men caught up in reputation-damaging sex scandals. News flash: power corrupts--and both genders are at risk! What are YOU doing to protect y...
Silver Spoon Dilemma
CEOs often have resources to create unusual opportunities for their kiids--or eliminate any motivation for their offspring to excel in their own careers.
CEO Expense Transparency
Brad Feld shares his reaction to his investee CEO's decision to make his spending/reimbursement easy to audit and analyze. Was the CEO's action overkill or a gesture you would emulate?
A Cautionary Tale for CEOs
The former head of McKinsey is accused of leaking secrets in the Galleon insider trading case. This post explores the roots of other respected corporate leaders' transgressions. A good list to guard against, as success takes hold...
Function Trumps Ethics
New research confirms what has long been suspected--customers purchase based product function/cost, even when they abhor the ethics of the manufacturer. So does corporate social responsibility matter?
Super Nova of a Star Performer
This week tact trumped talent again, as Christian Dior (a unit of luxury purveyor LVMH) publicly parted company with its longtime superstar designer, John Galliano, after he was caught on tape making anti-semitic remarks in a Paris bar. Another ...
Building an Ethical Culture
This podcast explores methods for creating an ethical corporate culture. Mike Hackworth, Chairman of Cirrus Logic, explores the challenges facing boards and executives and outlines opportunities to shift the...
Redesigning the Board
A collective of CEOs met recently in Davos to discuss risk management and what they can do to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic events. One specific set of recommendations relates to how boards can reform to ...
The F@#* Me Once Rule
Brad Feld describes the concept of implied trust in this post about entrepreneurs and their relationship to and with investors. Does this square with your experience in the venture community?
WikiLeaks and Thee
Hero or goat--Julian Assange's disclosures have forced leaders in government--and increasing corporations--to reassess the role technology alone can play in protecting confidential information. CEOs should be...
Worst CEO List: 2010
If there is one list you DON'T want to make, it's this Forbes recount of some of the worst CEO foul-ups of the year. Some are familiar tales, but a few incredible examples help explain why corporate leaders, as a...
Horowitz on Hurd
Ben Horowitz, investor and former HP executive, weighs in on the Board's handling of the Hurd 'affair.' His analysis is worthy of...
Hurd Mentality: HP Board Next to Go?
HP's board avoided transparency when communicating their decision to part company with Mark Hurd. Seeking shareholder input is an extreme method, but in light of the resultant share price declines, some are left...
Power Corrupts--REALLY?!
Stanford B-school prof and expert on 'Power' in corporate settings, Jeffrey Pfeffer looks at what might have led to Mark Hurd's abrupt ouster. He also observes how Hurd's success, ironically, made it easier for the...
