Jan. 21, 2010 - In an attempt to increase morale and productivity, organizations will attempt anything. I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal (http://tinyurl.com/yc76a6g) about how to liven boring meetings. Leaders allowed crayons and water pistols for creating productivity. Such rote behavior is meant for recess, not productivity.

Jan. 21, 2010 - As the CEO of your company don’t you just love it when you walk into a work function and the employees get quiet, or look a bit scared? Some days it’s just darn funny, other days it’s annoying.

Jan. 21, 2010 - I returned to Michigan in 2008 after roughly a decade in New York and the good fortune to work in a number of cities around the world. Having completed the first half of my career in Detroit it was time to return home. Certainly, there was common surprise from colleagues and friends alike — why return to Michigan?

Jan. 7, 2010 - My wife and I had the opportunity to take a cruise in Southeast Asia in November 2009. While having fun as a tourist, I read the local English language papers and observed the local business conditions. We’ve heard a lot about the coming Asian Century. Without detailed analysis, just my observations instructed by several decades of business experience, I think the projections are correct.

Dec. 17, 2009 - I really should have seen it coming. I could hear the hiss of the air brakes as they were released, the rattle of the diesel engine, and the shifting of gears. My world seemed to turn a bit darker as this colossal frame began to pass over me, overwhelming in both size and stature. I had been “thrown under the bus!”

October 1, 2009 - There are scattered but growing indications that the U.S. economy is slowly finding its way out of the recession. Layoffs, salary freezes and other business cost-cutting measures have peaked, according to several reports, and are expected to taper off throughout the remainder of the year.