Governance

After 50 years working with a range of companies—as well as founding and running my own company, J.D. Power and Associates—I have observed a good deal, and come away with a few thoughts about how to have the best shot at success in business.

I may be getting cynical in my old age, but honesty is a rare thing these days. It seems to be getting more difficult to find honest people, especially when it comes to business. Each day we read about another scandal involving another fraudster, corrupt politician or criminal motivated by greed.

Last year was the 500th anniversary of the publication of one of the most significant books on political theory ever written, The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli. Just how evil do many people view the treatise as? Consider that this book alone is responsible for bringing the word “Machiavellian” ...

For children, bullying is something that happens in school, on the playground, or even in cyberspace. But as the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal involving lineman Jonathan Martin and ...

A chief compliance officer can have the title and the business card, but do they have a seat at the table where the organization’s important business is discussed and decided?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since 1990, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has killed more people than any other cause. The WHO also reports that 80 to 90 percent of people dying ...

It’s often one thing that stands between adequate and superlative customer service. Why don’t you just ask people face-to-face what that one thing is?

Many companies have an investigation protocol in place when a potential Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA) or other legal issue arises. However, many Boards do not have the same rigor when it comes to an investigation, which should be conducted or led by the Board itself.

I have often said that a smart sociopath is a leader’s worst nightmare. These snakes in business casually generate more havoc in a shorter period of time than anyone else—and they often make doing so look good...

The Sochi Olympics are a case-study in bureaucratic inefficiency and misuse of state funds despite some real engineering feats.

The Justice Department and the SEC have underscored the importance of a company maintaining a clear disciplinary process so that executives, managers and employees are aware that a violation of the corporate code of conduct or the law will result in disciplinary action.

I talk about 20 core leadership secrets in my executive coaching, speaking and writing. But if someone asked me to name only one that can make an immediate impact, I would pick the behaviors to counter setbacks.