When you fire up a software application such as Word for the first time, you'll notice that Microsoft has already put in default settings such as font type, font size, and margin spacing. These factory settings are appropriate, if, like the majority of users, all you want to do is...

As a former intelligence officer who has worked in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf States, I've been watching the controversy over the Ground Zero Mosque with growing alarm. Al Qaeda's goal for the 9/11 attacks was not only to destroy the American economy, but also to polarize Muslims and non-Muslims....

Recessions, especially the deep downturn that started in 2008, always cause us to scramble. Companies routinely slash spending while governments do the opposite, trying to shock the country's economic heart into beating again through heroic measures such as the recent stimulus package. Concern about a possible "double dip" recession have...

Insulting audiences with the opening line of a speech is a great way for a speaker to grab their listeners' attention. I'm friends with a much sought-after dinner speaker, for instance, who gets big bucks for appearances where he starts with "You are all hopelessly clueless."

Fascinated by this speaker's...

How do you come up with the equivalent of the iPhone in your world? Or, like Lou Gerstner of IBM, how do you transform a struggling monolith into a dynamic, profitable business? Such Big Bang wins are not the sole province of uniquely talented or uniquely lucky individuals or organizations,...