NOTES FOR THE BOSS

10 Truths for the Person in Charge 1. Everyone rationalizes; including you (we’re all smart and ethical in our own eyes). 2. There are lots of things you don’t know

Business Case #6: Silver-Plating and Cyanide

The G.R. Bronson Company is a large publicly-owned conglomerate whose holdings are primarily in the retail sale of jewelry. Several years ago, it purchased for $10 million a plant that puts silver and gold plate on jewelry.  The seller, Hedda Wilson, stayed on to manage the company until last year. Behind the plating facility there are three underground tanks.  One …

Leaders Create New Realities

If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”               – Henry Ford Leaders need to listen to those they lead and those they want to influence, but as their greatest task is to take people beyond the reality and even the imagination of those they seek to lead, they often must choose another …

Accountability

Ambrose Pierce, a nineteenth-century humorist, defined responsibility, as “A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one’s neighbor. In the days of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star.” Being accountable means accepting responsibility for who we are, and for our character, personalities, attitudes, and weaknesses. Even for our happiness. The …

Citizenship

Orlando and his three friends went on a camping/fishing trip. When they reached the camp site they were unpleasantly surprised at how it had been left by the previous campers. Beer cans and other trash were all around. They spent almost three hours cleaning it up. The morning of their scheduled departure day another camper in the area told them …