Why Fearing China Is A Mistake

One of the unfortunate repercussions of the weak economy and politics in the West is the growing animosity towards China. I have heard uninformed people blame China for everything from the high rate of unemployment (its all those outsourced jobs) to the high cost of gas (they are using more and more energy!). This anti-China beat is still in "politically correct" tones, however as elections loom and we continue to fail in turning our economy around, this narrow view of a Chinese threat beating us will no doubt grow louder. This is a mistake and a missed opportunity in the making in my view. 

Government 2.0: Guest Post

In 1990 I was privileged to attend the 50th Anniversary dinner for Bruce Lee in Los Angeles. He would have been 50 had he not tragically passed away in 1973. It was a wonderful evening, lots of stories from his family (wife, son Brandon and daughter Shannon all in attendance), as well as Ip Man, the grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and Bruce Lee's Master, who is the subject of the highly rated Chinese film Ip Man, a must see for avid foreign film lovers. That night I learnt an amazing lesson that has stayed with me 20 years on, and holds so true in today's complex world.

Balancing It All: Guest Post

Some of the best people I have worked with were women. In fact, of the top five people I have had work for me, 2 of them were female. If I think of the top ten colleagues I have had under me then 5 of the 10 were women. Most were wives and mothers, balancing life at home as well as at work. Yet they performed at the highest levels for me, outperforming their male colleagues in an apples to apples comparison. And let me be clear, my management style is all about accountability so I don't see a difference between male and female team members, old and young or experienced and inexperienced. You are either in the role or not.

A Little Old School for LinkedIn Users

When I graduated business school and entered the workforce for the first time I was fortunate to have chosen an opportunity that got me the coaching and mentorship every young professional needs. My boss, mentor and today friend, Dan, taught me a lot of things, from effective business writing to how to order in a  French restaurant to his incredible thought process. But the number one lesson he drilled into me echoed what my father always taught us growing up: your credibility is everything.

What Do You Think?

In the last two decades of my professional career we have had three recessions, one depression (current), one oil crisis, one oil disaster, a slew of natural disasters from Katrina to the Asian tsunami to multiple earthquakes, the fall of the Soviet Union, an internet boom (and bust), a real estate boom (and bust), two Wall Street crisis of confidence, 9-11, three major wars, a new Pope and the third impeachment of a US President in history. Throughout these events we have scrutinized many things about our global system of commerce, but one area has not come under much scrutiny... 

The Missing Element Of Success: Taking Care of Your Body

The past few weeks I have been putting together the contents for a blog on the importance of personal training and why its imperative for leaders, managers, professionals and individuals young and old to focus on their physical, nutritional and mental health. The basic message is you must incorporate taking care of your body into your day-to-day life. If you want to be successful at your profession and with your family then you have to workout and eat the right foods. However as life happens I wanted to share an experience from this evening that in my view reinforces the absolute need for all of us to exercise, build strength and eat the right foods.

The Battle For Talent

One of the challenges facing businesses of all sizes today is finding, developing and keeping the right talent. While unemployment is at record highs all over the world, and companies don't look to be adding great numbers of head count in the near future, one thing remains certain: good people are in high demand like never before.