IBM at 100: What Is the Secret Sauce?

IBM is 100 years old now, in the same year it passes $100 billion in sales. The company that started in 1911 as a merger of four companies named Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. boasts robust profits, products, and services, and its stock market value surpassed Google's. What is the secret of the company's staying power and ability to reinvent itself?

Does Power Turn Men Into Sexual Predators?

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Lord Acton used to say. Were Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Arnold Schwarzenegger (and now Anthony Weiner) seduced by their powerful and patriarchal positions? Or were they predators long before they had their power perks?

Anthony Weiner Quits: "Pervert" or Private Matter?

After weeks of hand-wringing and denials that he would quit, U.S. congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) resigned today over his lewd online exchanges with women constituents. Should Weiner be punished for being a "pervert" as some have put it? Or is his private behavior a matter between him and his wife Huma Abedin, since he has done nothing to break the law?

Doctors vs. Nurses: Communicate or Die

Some 200,000 patients are estimated to die each year because doctors dress down or intimidate nurses, nurses don't speak up, and hospital teams communicate badly, if at all. It's a drastic case of "Communicate or Die." What can be done to improve matters?

Bob Dylan at 70: Is He a Leader?

Bob Dylan is 70. Though his fans' main birthday gifts seem to be scoldings and criticisms, all agree that few people had more innovative influence on 20th-century music. One of the drivers of Dylan's reluctant leadership was the pursuit of what he called his "way home": the holy grail of being truly yourself.

McKinsey Consultant Involved in Billionaire's Insider Trading Scheme

In a rare inside look into the rarefied world of hedge fund dealings, a federal jury in Manhattan has found billionaire investor Raj Rajaratnam guilty of fraud and conspiracy. A juicy and far-reaching detail in the case: Former McKinsey director Anil Kumar (picture) and two other McKinsey consultants helped the Galleon Group founder with stock tips based on insider information. How can such dirty deals by consultants be prevented?

Fukushima: Breaking Through the Rules

When a Japanese worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant ran into a guard who stuck to the rules and refused to improvise, it revealed a lack of flexibility Japan urgently needs to get out of its crisis. Unfortunately Japan is not alone. All too often, companies get attached to rigid plans and cannot adapt to new facts on the ground. 

The Power of Words

"Words are, of course," Rudyard Kipling once wrote, "the most powerful drug used by mankind." The video in this article shows that words can make the difference between a good business and a great business, between mediocre and transcendent leadership, between making small change and making real money. Communication is the best investment; but most of us use language poorly or not at all.

Richard Branson Becomes Stewardess

After losing a bet, Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson will have to don a red stewardess uniform and walk down the aisle to offer passengers drinks and food. The British entrepreneur's one-off action should become standard best practice for top managers. 

Can Google Build Better Bosses?

Bosses have a huge influence on people's performance and job satisfaction (meaning whether they stay or leave), so Google has embarked on a bold initiative: to build better managers. "Project Oxygen" applies what Google does best (organizing information) to the unpredictable world of the human element.