November 14, 2008 · 22 Comments
It is time to think differently. The argument that all our large enterprises, banks, insurance companies and automakers are too big to fail is simply a way of rewarding failure. And the rewards are large. Giving billions to bankroll the leaders who created failure to keep them gambling with our money is stupid. Outrageous. In the late 1980’s I led a retreat of executives from General Motors. At the time their manufacturing quality... [Read the full story]
November 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment
This weekend I flew up to Las Vegas to meet my wife and her father and mother. Debbie’s mom and dad were making their annual trek south to Arizona to get relief from arthritis. Her dad is 80 now and his willingness to drive 12 hours a day is a little scary. And speaking of scary, Las Vegas on Halloween night is downright frightening. What people seem willing to do when they are anonymous is a little out there. We were up early... [Read the full story]
October 8, 2008 · 3 Comments
Debbie and I were going for a walk this morning on the 101 overlooking Swami’s, the famous surf break. (Only surfers could call a surf spot Swami’s after a Hindu retreat that sits on the bluff. Politically correct surfers don’t exist.) We ran into our friend, Doc, who we often meet for coffee on Saturday mornings. His daughter is in the Peace Corp. in a remote, no running water or bathrooms part of Africa. As our conversation... [Read the full story]
October 27, 2008 · 2 Comments
There is a growing realization that business-as-usual will lead us to the end of our world. What the leaders of the future want to learn is how they can build businesses that build a better world. Now. The movement away from short term, self-interest is taking hold in the most unlikely places. Suddenly, business gurus like Harvard’s Michael Porter are holding up socially strategic companies like Whole Foods as a new model for... [Read the full story]
November 14, 2008 · 22 Comments
It is time to think differently. The argument that all our large enterprises, banks, insurance companies and automakers are too big to fail is simply a way of rewarding failure. And the rewards are large. Giving billions to bankroll the leaders who created failure to keep them gambling with our money is stupid. Outrageous. In the late 1980’s I led a retreat of executives from General Motors. At the time their manufacturing quality... [Read the full story]
November 18, 2008 · 1 Comment
Dear Congressmen: I am writing to urge you to vote no on the proposed bailout of the auto industry. Prior to the initial bailout being past we heard the following statements: “…There is the possibility that there will be no economy on Monday.” -Henry Paulson “..If we don’t get it solved next week, I may have to go back to delivering papers.” -Warren Buffet Despite promises of transparency, no golden parachutes... [Read the full story]
November 18, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As a tragic fire rages just north of Los Angeles I am reminded of another fire (The Cedar Fire) that swept through the San Diego area in October of 2003. For those who find themselves in the pathway of these destructive behemoths, their lives will be changed in ways that many of us would prefer not to contemplate. Many people will wake up having lost everything they had spent years working to build, homeless, and without possessions, reliant... [Read the full story]
If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes... [Read more]
This weekend I flew up to Las Vegas to meet my wife and her father and mother. Debbie’s mom and dad were making their annual trek south to Arizona... [Read more]