The Golf Shot Heard Round the Academic World: Guest Post

When my little cousin called me up some years back to tell me how much he hated his Ivy League College professors and their biased political views that corrupt young minds, I thought no big deal. This is what your College professors do. Mine thought they were really special. I know differently now.

Richard Branson on Office Ties and the Company Dress Code: Guest Post

You can't help but to love Richard Branson. Few people have made a ding in the Universe as big as Richard. Emerson, Edison, Gates, Jobs come to mind. There are surely others, but Richard has always been the most intriguing in my view. I have read his books and served some of his companies as clients. But the thing that always stands out in my mind is his anti-establishment views, notably never wearing a tie.

Ideas aren't Cheap, They're Free: Guest Post

Twice in my education I had the exam question "Why?" The first was my senior year of high school for Philosophy, the second was for my "Contemporary Philosophy" course my sophomore year of college. Both times I responded with a word or two - the first time "Why Not?" and the second time "Because". Both times I received an A on the essay question. When my fellow students heard about this, they challenged my college Professor and he gave a great response: "Anyone who writes that answer on a final exam is creative, courageous and demonstrated the ability to express themselves in a way few people can."

New Low For The British

This past week the British government stripped former RBS CEO Fred Goodwin of his knighthood. 

How Will You Measure Your Life?: Guest Post

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. This American dose of culture should truly be exported to the rest of the world. Not only is the meaning of Thanksgiving a noble one, but the fact that it brings families together for a day or two makes it that much more special.

A Walk On The Nomad Side

Earlier this month I got on a flight to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The trip was a mix of business and pleasure. Business comprised of visiting the operations of the biggest tobacco grower in the world, and pleasure was every other minute I spent in the country. This small Central American country is a land of beauty beyond my expectations.

People Matter: What The Turmoil In The Middle East Has Taught Us

This past week I have been asked by numerous friends and colleagues what my thoughts are on the demonstrations in Egypt. The world has been watching as tens of thousands of people hold anti-government rallies across the land of the Pharaohs, and another Mid-East government collapses in a short period of time, and thus far without major human casualties. I am always hesitant to offer my opinion on politics because I don’t believe it adds much value. Politics is a dirty game in case your mother never told you, and I try to steer clear away from it, but what I do love to talk about, and encourage every individual to be aware of, is the important lessons coming out of events like Egypt.

Are You A Sailboat Or A Submarine?

Once in a while my eye catches the comments people leave on LinkedIn.com. I love LinkedIn, but I find the majority of the comments people leave to lack value and to be a waste of time. The topics aren't that great either - "How good are you at crisis management?", "One word or phrase to characterize your leadership style?". Silly topics that create inefficiency when 291 people actually take time out from producing to answer these rhetorical questions. Where is the value? However one question from somebody named John caught my eye "Do you believe you can motivate people?"

Culture Of Transparency...Are We Ready?

The best businesses are built on a culture of transparency. Period. Yet so few companies, organizations or nations for that matter practice a true culture of transparency. As the recent WikiLeaks saga unfolds itself many intellectuals, critics and spectators are debating whether we, as a global community, are better off knowing the contents of some 250,000 classified government documents that were stolen and sold earlier this year. Its a complex question that is worth pontificating, even if there is no clear cut answer. Personally I am more interested in the question whether we, collectively, are ready for the kind of transparency philosophers and progressives preach, or business professors idolize.