Archive for December 2009
Four for Thursday — Articles I’ve Read and You Should Too
Today marks three months of Capitolism. Thanks for reading the blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it a least a little bit. I’ve enjoyed writing it immensely. Look for more posts, a new look, greater issue coverage, better features and even some guest writers early in the New Year. Best wishes for great joy and success in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Overrewarding Underperformance
Jason Zweig muses this week on the apparent link between high-paid CEOs and underperforming share prices. Such a link does not come as a surprise. Read the rest of this entry »
Four for Thursday…and Christmas Day
No Joy in Toyland, by Anne Northup.
Worst Decade for Stocks….Ever, by Alex Dumortier.
Why is Ayn Rand So Popular Today?, by Jay Richards. A question I ask myself frequently.
Lamenting the Forgotten, Who Was Not Bailed Out, by John Tamny.
Business Lessons from ‘A Christmas Carol’
Every year since 1996, I have read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. No matter how good or bad the year, or how busy I find myself, I make time to re-read the book. Sometimes I read it with specific themes in mind to learn Dickens’ thoughts on them. This year, after starting Capitolism, I wondered about his perspective on business. He writes much about business throughout the book, and his core message warns readers about the potential charms and dangers of business. More precisely, he warns not about business itself, but about focusing life solely on business concerns. Read the rest of this entry »
Justin Fox on Market Myths
While I do not agree with all of Mr. Fox’s analysis, he gives us some good, and difficult, topics to ponder.
Dow’s Decade of Changes and Detroit’s Mayor
Will Swarts tracks the changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average component stocks from 1999 to 2009. A worthwhile 10 minute read.
Also, Stephen Moore interviews Detroit mayor Dave Bing in this weekend’s Wall Street Journal. Can Mayor Bing turn Detroit around? He seems realistic about the task ahead, blunt in his answers and willing to make tough decisions. He’ll have plenty to make.
Four for Thursday: Articles I’ve Read and You Should Too
Management’s Dirty Little Secrets, by Gary Hamel. Mr. Hamel makes some excellent points. Indeed, if you merge some of the data he presents, you see a key truth emerge: people do not leave companies, they leave bad managers. Read the rest of this entry »
Tiger Fails Crisis Management
Whatever Tiger Woods did or did not do, he has made his situation worse through poor communications. Whoever he has giving him advice has given him poor advice since the day of the car accident. This MSNBC article has a good take on his mistakes.
Should One Tweet Get You a Job?
Several news sources yesterday reported that a man got a job by posting one Tweet. Good for him, especially in this economy.
But should the company have hired him? Read the rest of this entry »
What Matters?
Bob Prosen makes some excellent observations about America’s top companies — whether we say they are the best companies to work for or the most admired. Culture matters. Communication matters. Management and coaching matter. Consistent treatment matters. Leadership follow-through on commitment matters. Raising the bar matters. Expecting high performance matters. Pressure-testing candidates’ fit with culture in the hiring process matters.
These seem like simple things. As concepts, they could not be simpler. But because of poor leadership, and people not adhering to principles in their behavior, organizations go awry.
Capitolism will have much more to say on this topic, throughout its writings.
