Turmoil in the Middle East

I am really concerned with all of the turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Bahrain. It probably will spread elsewhere. My thoughts are with the businesses that are attempting to grow their presence throughout the region as well as the expatriates that are attempting to flee the scene. The likely outcome will be a prolonged period of uncertainty followed by new ways of doing business in many countries.

Are You Guilty of Being a Perk Hog?

Compensation Oversight at The University Of Texas-Austin

While it is understandable to me that the University of Texas, after a horrible football season, would want to replace its offensive and defensive coordinators and their respective staffs, how can they justify enormous salary increases to attract people from Boise State and Mississippi State?  Come on.  Don't give me that argument that you have to pay big bucks to get the best staff.  Going from a small school to a giant powerhouse should be enough to attract good coaches. Offering them over twice (or three times) their former compensation makes no sense.  Who is in charge of compensation?  Who in their right mind could approve such increases in salary at a time when other parts of the University are making cuts?

Leader Or Speechmaker?

I sometimes wonder where this country is headed. Our Commander in Chief loves to make speeches and even though they contain references to "let me be clear" the listener is left with a sense of not really knowing what he is saying. Speaking and giving nice sounding orations is not leadership. While it is an aspect of great leadership, it is only one component. Our current leaders seem to think that all they have to do is make a speech and all falls in line behind them. Then, they race on to the next speech and/or topic and fail to implement elements of the previous speech. They do not seem to understand that a speech is just a speech. Their actions, leadership, and prioritization after each speech is all important. Speechmaking without leadership is well---just speechmaking.