This line was spoken by the character, Cal Lightman, in the new tv show, Lie to Me on Fox TV last evening. It reflects a too-widely held belief that the vast majority of CEOs are liars and cheats. The show is a drama based on real science of deception detection via involuntary microexpressions on our faces [...]
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
As if we did not have enough agita with the NFL and Patriots Spying, it has come to light that referees — yes, referees — in the NBA were (1) making calls to favor one team over another, (2) advising the coaches of what they were doing and (3) betting on the games. Unless and [...]
Thursday, May 15, 2008
On February 3rd of this year, HuffingtonPost.com carried my post about spying on other teams by the Patriots. I said that the issue would be evergreen because the team and the league took a Nixonian stance: stonewalling, denial and destruction of records. Today, Senator Arlen Specter, citing new information from former Patriots’ employee Matt Walsh, described [...]
Friday, February 1, 2008
Phil Simms, or “Grandma” as he was called when he quarterbacked the New York Giants Football team and seemed slow afoot, did the commentary for the Patriots/Jets game today. He is slow in a much more important dimension. When asked his view of Bill Bellicik’s team filming the signals of the Jets during a game – [...]
Countless more ordinary people of equal talent never developed the leadership core required to run the show. Why not?
Is our behavior in the face of challenge determined at birth or by our environment? Are leaders born rather than made?
My obsession with what makes some ordinary people become extraordinary leaders led to my interviews with dozens of CEOs which Random House published in 2007 and to the Master Class series at Pace. The thesis is that there are particular “shaping experiences” which develop leadership traits and capabilities.
Epi-genetics is the new field of study that is beginning to confirm that nurture determines a lot about us: our behavior, our illnesses and more. Work on animals and on human twins shows that no matter your genome, there is a system of markers that switch genes on and off in a way that controls your reaction to stimuli. These markers are largely from environmental factors from what happened while you were in the womb, to how you were treated in your childhood, to stressful situations to pollution. And the markers you have accumulated can go-awry as you age.
The good news is that by treatment, including drugs, these markers can be added or removed.
Together with breakthroughs in neuroscience (how our brain works during different mental and emotional conditions), we are about to glean powerful new understandings relevant to our lives as well as careers.
For an intro to the field, view the PBS Nova Science Now program on the subject:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3411/02.html
That’s my view. What’s yours?
For a few years now, Jim Blasingame and I have shared stories, insights and practical suggestions for survival of small business in tough times. He should be your fave for an unlimited supply of helpful ideas for your business. Go to:
http://blog.smallbusinessadvocate.com/management-fundamentals/small-business-economic-challenges
and also to the home page of smallbusinessadvocate.com
Please let me know how helpful you find this great resource. Jim is, himself, a very successful small business owner who knows whereof he speaks.
As I said in a prior post, the fruit vendor on a nearby street corner in New York City told me he is working on becoming a bank holding company so he can get in line for a bailout. Is there no end?
Today’s announcement it was announced that insurance companies will be allowed to reduce the reserve capital they have to make sure they can pay benefits to customers when the time comes. Isn’t this converting insurers to be like AIG? Isn’t insurance with low reserves the same as gambling?
There was no accompanying clear and detailed plan for oversight. Just like the billions of dollars that have flowed into the investment bank.
That’s my view. What’s yours?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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