“To quote Malcolm Forbes – Any fool can handle the helm in calm seas.”

In today’s continuing Perfect Storm of financial implosion, foreclosures and tightening credit, all the CEOs that bragged how they were going to drive up profits, make companies more efficient and create wealth for stockholders have missed the boat. They should be walking the plank and not be looking for a bailout to secure bonuses.

 

If you don’t understand that IT has become inextricably linked into the core business of most industries, then you don’t understand IT.

I had the opportunity last week to sit in on a traveling book presentation from Nicholas G. Carr. He’s a former Harvard Business Review editor.

The lack of jobs for American citizens is reflected with this latest, multibillion-dollar financial collapse that reaffirms my economic observations. Many financial experts and economists have yet to connect the dots while analyzing financial indicators and determining why things are happening in the economy.

The reason the economy is in a tailspin is because there are a growing number of beta consumers who can’t adhere to the same hierarchy of spending levels as Alpha consumers.  

While many business executives at some point in their career are told to read “Art of War” by Sun Tzu, what they should also be reading is George S. Patton’s approach to operational leadership and management of resources.

When was the last time you flew United Airlines and got good service?

Where have all the people gone who actually know what they’re talking about?

The tenth annual Global Technology Invitational will be held on Saturday, September 15th 2007 at South Hills Country Club on Interstate 94 in Racine County, Wisconsin.  As in years past, the day is full of networking, great food, drink, friends and of course, golf.  

A Foursome is $500 in advance and $540 the day of the event - Saturday, September 15, 2007.

CALL 773-370-1888 for more details and reservations.  Sponsors call 847-836-1888.  There is so much more --------------->

While there was a time when the merger between the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) sounded like a bad idea, things change. Now the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) and CBOT are the wrong combination.

Though technology plays a key role in mergers and acquisitions, many organizations overlook technology infrastructure when conducting due diligence and making strategic investments. You better know the technology and network infrastructure and how it either helps or hurts the long-range strategic goals of the organization.

You don't get Superman by paying Jimmy Olson wages.

You cannot commoditize talent when the key skills for today's success are flexibility, adaptability, creativity, and technology. You have to pay for talent in order to compete in the global marketplace. This transcends all industries and organizations.

There is a need to solve energy issues. The Midwest could play a major role in renewable fuels. Practical solutions should be implemented by individuals.  Energy is one of the biggest challenges in the world today.

 Selecting a third-party data center is a detailed task.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about being disappointed by not being able to visit a PEAK 10 data center in Tampa to get a firsthand view of their services after an executive scheduled a meeting with me. The column brought in more feedback than I expected.

 Beware of data-center companies that don’t want to show off their goods. What are they hiding? What are they missing?

Last week in Orlando, I spoke at the well-attended BICSI conference. While I was there, I also wanted to visit one of PEAK 10’s data centers to get a first-hand view of their services. In 2006, I wrote about PEAK 10 after doing some online research. I wanted to see their facilities in person and write another column because data centers have become such an issue.

When the Executive Club of Chicago presented its annual outlook for the year in a renovated Grand Ballroom of the Conrad Hilton, the guest speakers were Robert J. “Dr. Bob” Froehlich of Deutsche Asset Management, Allan Murray of the Wall Street Journal, and Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Terry Savage moderated the panel and some of their insights are worth putting a spotlight on.

The divestiture in 1984 was not such a good idea.

We are almost back to square one as another regional Bell operating company merges back into AT&T. The executives and lobbyists from AT&T and BellSouth must "be on a mission from God because they are putting the band back together".  It seems no one can stop them.