There are things we all know that we know, except sometimes we don’t.
Here’s a simple question: what’s the number one source for news in the US? Chances are you said NBC or maybe Fox News. And you’d be right if the question was limited to broadcast or cable news. But [...]

A terrible fight broke out on the Washington subway system recently. It happened at 11 p.m., spilling out onto two different stops and involving, according to police, 70 people. When I first heard the story I did the same thing you probably did: felt disgust. Then I felt [...]

If you have any doubts about the impact of a manager, make time to see Toy Story 3. It’s hard to recall another movie that so clearly delivered a story about how an embittered, mean-spirited boss can turn a workplace into a nightmare.
Based on ticket revenue, the odds are that many [...]

In a world of value, where bigger, larger and more seem always to work, is it possible that less can be better? I think we recently got an easy and powerful lesson in just that concept, not to mention how more can sometimes be too much.
Think back for to the recently completed World Cup soccer [...]

Something strange happened a few nights ago in the Dodgers/Giants baseball game. In the final inning, with the game on the line, a Dodgers coach – Don Mattingly – went to the pitching mound to discuss strategy. As the discussion ended he started walking away, took a few steps, turned [...]

So your agenda is full, your balance sheet is troubling and the last thing you need is yet another reminder that inertia is a problem. Sorry, my job is to point out such stuff and this week we have a couple of reminders of the perils of standing still. Consider [...]

Time has run out for Nicolas Hayek, and we’re all the poorer for it.
Now, truth be told, I had never heard of Hayek until I read his obituary last week. But instantly it hit me that this was the kind of person that every business should have. At least, businesses [...]

Sometimes I just hate people…and you know who you are. A week ago, my wife and I were getting gasoline at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike, which is one of the few states where self-service isn’t allowed.
These stations are large and each line handles two cars at [...]

Standing in the aisles of a price oriented supermarket in California, I thought I heard the best definition of value.
Now this was no average store. This was Grocery Outlet, a company whose stores will never get compared to Wegmans or Whole Foods. The stores are extremely simple, with small selections [...]

Okay soccer/football fans: prepare to get angry. Like the vast majority of Americans I would describe the World Cup in South Africa with one word: Dull!
I’m one of those people who prefer American football, despite it capturing the two worst elements of life in the US—sporadic violence and frequent meetings. [...]