February

2008

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath marks its first anniversary in print this month, having spent its first year on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and USA Today bestseller lists. At the end of its first year, there are 500,000 copies in print.

14 February 2008

Measuring internal customer service is driving positive results in one of the world’s biggest medical equipment companies. This profile of a major division of Stryker -- with 1,800 employees in 21 countries who speak almost two dozen different languages -- reveals how.

14 February 2008

George Borst, president and CEO of Toyota Financial Services, had a daring plan for leading TFS through an expansion of its customer base and product line. But that required transformation in every aspect of his organization -- new people, infrastructure, knowledge, and skills. Some of the changes offered fresh opportunities, but others presented big problems. What's more, the expansion required Borst to discover new methods of leadership. Here's how he successfully transformed his organization -- and, in the process, himself.

14 February 2008

The authors of Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter tell why people are the fulcrum of profitability and why it’s tempting to replace workers with machines -- and why you really, really shouldn’t.

14 February 2008

This question has been nagging at executives, investors, and the media. Here, Gallup’s chief economist sheds some much-needed light on the subject. He also tells how companies can protect themselves if there’s a serious downturn and what managers -- many of whom have never lived through a real economic slump -- should know.

14 February 2008

Measured by the statement "I have a best friend at work," this element has proven to be incredibly controversial to executives. But those business leaders who think friendships are none of their business don’t understand human nature, according to the authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing.