The Unseen Obstacle in Reducing Any Deficit, Government or Otherwise

Everybody seems to have a plan for reducing the deficit.  President Obama created a National Commission of Fiscal Responsibility. There is the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Debt Reduction Task…

TSA Brings Problems on Itself

As the Thanksgiving travel begins to increase, so too do the TSA screening stories! If you have been watching TV in the last week, you are probably sick of the "should they – shouldn’t they" conduct…

Things that Drive Me Crazy: Behavioral Economists

What started with Dan Pink’s “Drive” has now compelled me to discuss Things That Drive me Crazy. In this first installment, I challenge “Behavioral Economists” and their lack of expertise in…

A World Without Whistleblowers

Whistleblower.  The word often carries with it the stigma of a tattle-tale from childhood.  Few children liked those who tattled as they might eventually tell on them.  Although there…

Relationships & Safety: Is There a Link?

Does your relationship with your boss or your employees have any effect on how safe the environment is?  My colleague, Judy Agnew, writes in her latest article “Why Relationships Matter in…

Oops #13: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Forms of Reorganizing

Mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of reorganization have increased dramatically over the last decade, and with increased globalization they will continue into the foreseeable future. However, if…

Don’t Forget the Boss…Or should you?

It’s that time of year again, where someone out there, has declared October 16th as National Boss's Day.  Now I’m not saying Bosses shouldn’t be recognized for their efforts (assuming they…

Rewarding Things a Dead Man Can Do

On the face of it, rewarding things a dead man, or woman, can do sounds crazy. But corporations do it every day! Have no accidents, make no errors, and be at your workstation or desk are three of the…

Leadership Debacle at The Tribune Company

Interesting and scary New York Times article on how bad management practices at the top of The Tribune Company have trickled down and poisoned the company’s culture, kept it stuck in …

Oops #12: Downsizing

As a business person I understand the appeal of downsizing. As sales slow and cash flow is depleted, the facts on the side of such action seem compelling. The problem is that, of the many reasons…

Ask Aubrey: What's Your Take on the JetBlue Incident?

The Question: Some weeks ago, Steven Slater, the former JetBlue flight attendant acted out the fantasy of a large contingent of employees who have had enough of on-the-job stresses. After a heated…

Breaking News: Texting While Driving is Dangerous. Duh!

Anyone who understands anything about behavior knows that the latest suggestion by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for dealing with the problem of texting while driving will not work. He…

Lifeguard on Duty: Swim at Your Own Risk!

Typically when we read headlines that relate to personal safety, we are smacked in the face with the obvious.  In a recent New York Times article, they raised the issue, albeit late in the…

Oops #11: Promoting People No One Likes

Executives very often look to promote people who are smart, hardworking, ambitious, and technically competent. But what they often don't see is that the person is also arrogant,…

Lessons From BP

CEBViews recently posted an article Learning from BP  (Steven Williams, 9-9-10) which outlines three lessons that are worthy of executive and management attention. Their first point is…

Outsourced: New Show Bound to Spotlight What NOT to do When Managing in New Cultures

I can’t help but think that Outsourced, a new workplace comedy scheduled to air this week, will give us another reason to laugh at potential real-life business scenarios. In a vein similar to…

Managing the Albert Haynesworths

With the new NFL season upon us, I had the opportunity to write an article for the Washington Post about how Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has so far bucked the prevailing trend in…

Fostering Creativity in the Workplace

I read an article recently (ABC News) that reported on what the magical number of emails a person can “stand” a day before they feel overloaded: 50 emails! That is not the number they receive, only…