Ideas

Business confidence in future growth prospects turned downward in 2012's fourth quarter, according to the latest Business Outlook Survey conducted by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

Over the past few weeks, I've worked with several senior leaders who are trying to overcome their natural tendency to over direct their employees. They realized they were trying to help their direct reports by solving their problems for them. Once they realized how undermining their actions were, they started working on being better coaches, who held their managers accountable, rather than doing their jobs for them.

There is a dearth of ethics in the current business culture. The National Business Ethics Survey results have shown that employees' perceptions of senior executives and supervisors declined last year.

In July, I wrote about Terry Leahy's book, “Management in Ten Words.” The 10 words are: truth, loyalty, courage, values, act, balance, simple, lean, compete and trust.

Are you willing to challenge conventional thinking? It takes courage, and it's not easy.

Consumer sentiment jumped again in this month to its highest level in five years, according to the latest gauge by the University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters.

BizTimes Media is accepting nominations for its annual Health Care Heroes Awards, which honor people in southeastern Wisconsin who are making a difference on the front lines of health care.

Sharp Literacy, Inc. has appointed Lynda Kohler as its new executive director, according to an announcement the Milwaukee-based, education-driven organization made Wednesday.

It has been a remarkable 15 years since we founded Milwaukee College Prep. Working with Milwaukee Buck's forward Junior Bridgeman, we launched with 76 inaugural students in 1997 and serve some of the poorest, most troubled neighborhoods in Milwaukee.

*Saturday, Oct. 13, Milwaukee Empty Bowls will hold its 14th Annual Milwaukee Empty Bowls event at MATC-Oak Creek Campus,...