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« Previous Entries Next Entries »TIME’s Top 10 Apologies List misses the boat
Monday, December 7th, 2009When the year draws to a close, TIME magazine likes to provide Top 10 lists. With Tiger Woods’ recent apology ringing across the Internet, TIME decided it was time to “examine some of the most famous mea culpas in history.” As someone with a bigger-than-usual interest in apologies, I eagerly read through the [...]
Keep an eye on your premises - and make sure your employees do, too!
Friday, December 4th, 2009Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s take a look at a recent incident at a Philadelphia hospital. School counselor Joaquin Rivera died of an apparent heart attack in Atria Health’s emergency room after reportedly waiting for almost 80 minutes to see a triage nurse. To add insult [...]
Will Tiger Woods’ apology be effective?
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009Tiger Woods issued a statement today apologizing for letting his family down, admitting to “transgressions” in the wake of allegations that he’s had one or more extramarital affairs. He also stated that he would deal with his personal life behind closed doors. It’s an interesting approach - Woods told his fans he’s sorry, [...]
What Amazon can teach about business ethics
Monday, November 30th, 2009Now that Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday has come and gone, you might think that holiday sales have already hit their high point. If you do, think again. Today is Cyber-Monday, the day that online retailers rely upon to hit their year-end sales goals. It’s an important day for the economy [...]
Give thanks!
Friday, November 27th, 2009Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about a seasonal message with surprising litigation risk implications. Yesterday was Thanksgiving, America’s designated day for expressing gratitude for the blessings in our lives. You may have heard from the self-help gurus who tell you that maintaining an “attitude of [...]
Please, tell us the truth about global warming!
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009The Wall Street Journal reported this week that a group of scientists who contend that human activities are responsible for global warming may have been suppressing contrary research. According to the WSJ, thousands of e-mails and documents were obtained from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University in the U.K. and posted on [...]
Was the Senate Ethics Committee tough enough on Roland Burris?
Monday, November 23rd, 2009You can always tell when somebody in Washington knows they’re about to drop a PR stinkbomb, because the story gets released on a Friday, preferably in the late afternoon. Theoretically, the worst of the embarrassing odor dissipates over the weekend so that everyone can get back to business as usual on Monday morning. [...]
Do business with people whom you trust - and who trust you
Friday, November 20th, 2009Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s focus on an essential element of business relationships: trust.
Gallup Press just released a new book by Rodd Wagner and Gale Muller, Power of 2, that presents their five-year study of successful partnerships. According to their research, 87% of partners in good collaborations [...]
When dealing with clients, think before you speak
Monday, November 16th, 2009A friend of mine (let’s call him Fred) recently had a very distressing encounter. His cardiologist was out of town, and Fred needed a cardiogram. Fred went to the cardiologist his regular doctor’s office recommended. When he walked in, the substitute cardiologist’s first words to him were, “have you ever thought about [...]
Don’t make assumptions about your employees
Friday, November 13th, 2009Continuing with my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s take a look at a mistake that frequently gets companies in legal trouble. When it comes to your employees, both current and prospective, be careful not to make assumptions.
Here’s an example. You’re interviewing candidates for a sales position that involves [...]