Errors of Commission. Errors of Omission.

Errors come in two different categories: (1) doing a wrong thing and (2) failing to do the right thing. We call these “errors of commission” and “errors of omission.” In general, managers worry more about doing the wrong thing than they do about failing to do the right thing, even if the latter is just …

Linus Torvalds and the Golden Rule

The Smallest of Compromises

As a resident of Durham, North Carolina, I live in a diverse and international community that blends into the culture of a southern state, full of residents whose families have been here for generations. Fifty years ago, when the population of Durham NC was almost entirely southern and Christian, Jesus was a commonly named presence …

You Have to Earn Loyalty Clarence Francis

Loyalty, You Have to Earn

If you haven’t heard of Francis lately, it’s not because General Foods isn’t important. It’s because Francis spoke these words shortly after World War II. In 1952, Time Magazine ran an article on “human resources” which followed the Francis quote by saying, “In that search, at midcentury, lies the finest hope and promise of the …

An Honest Politician is someone who, when he is bought, will stay bought. Simon Cameron

“An Honest Politician…” Simon Cameron

From bio.com: Born in Pennsylvania on March 8, 1799, Simon Cameron was considered by many to be on of America’s first political bosses. His political ambitions led him to be elected to the Senate in 1845 and appointed as President Lincoln’s secretary of war in 1861. Lincoln [later] appointed him minister [to] Russia. He greatly …

Compassion and the LinkedIn CEO

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner leads from his spiritual core — not by talking about “religion” at work, but by working in accord with his spiritual values: Of all the management principles I have adopted over the years, either through direct experience or learning from others, there is one I aspire to live by more than …