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Archive: Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr.
Defining corporate citizenship
One of the obligations of corporate citizenship is to provide philanthropic support for important "social goods" where neither the market nor the government do an adequate job.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | November 18, 2009; 12:24 PM ET | Comments (0)
The ugly end-game
Critics on both sides will make Senate passage of the bill ugly, but those in the center have the main task: Getting the votes to enact health-care reform.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | November 11, 2009; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (1)
Petraeus, not Westmoreland
Today, a nation divided about both Iraq and Afghanistan wars can nonetheless honor and respect the warriors, in part because public perception of the military is so different from the Vietnam era.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | November 2, 2009; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (4)
In Praise of Meetings
Bad decisions -- from Vietnam to the subprime mess -- resulted, in important part, from not having the right viewpoints about "reality" represented forcefully in front of leaders by contending teams.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | October 6, 2009; 02:39 PM ET | Comments (1)
Channeling the 'Animal Spirit'
Business organizations must be designed-to check greed, stupidity and corruption and to channel capitalism's "animal spirits" into sustained, durable creation of real economic value.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | September 15, 2009; 06:57 AM ET | Comments (0)
Power Outage
The diffusion and fragmentation of power, money, media and ideas in our current political culture turns the already-difficult process of producing great political leaders into a real long-shot.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | September 1, 2009; 11:22 AM ET | Comments (4)
'Nation-Building' Dreams
With our focus on "good governance" and economic development, the fundamental question remains: How critical are the governance and development goals to our anti-Taliban efforts in Afghanistan---and how realistic?
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | August 25, 2009; 11:09 AM ET | Comments (1)
The Power of the Personal Story
Can the administration find a story as engagingly positive on health-care reform as the Gates-Crowley story was engagingly negative?
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | August 4, 2009; 10:59 AM ET | Comments (18)
The Talented Mr. Blankfein
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was one of the few CEOs who spoke out candidly about causes of the financial crisis. For his credibility, and that of his industry, he should demonstrate how "meaningful change and effective reform" are being applied.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | July 21, 2009; 01:16 PM ET | Comments (0)
Just the Facts, Ma'am
Bringing bipartisan fact-finding and analysis to this difficult set of issues is just as much in the national interest as health care or climate change or economic recovery.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | July 14, 2009; 03:41 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Stick in the Eye
Steve Job's handling of his personal health issues are a stick in the eye of trust and make him look like he is the head of a private Valley start-up, not a major public corporation.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | June 23, 2009; 09:33 AM ET | Comments (0)
We've Lost Authenticity
Crossing the line between selectively opening windows into personality and clear manipulation will send a public official tumbling down into the seventh circle of political hell, Spin City.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | June 9, 2009; 10:41 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Junior Justice
It is hard to imagine a junior justice with no Supreme Court experience influencing, in the near term, the experienced jurists. This means the person should be chosen for the power of her mind, rather than her political skills.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | May 19, 2009; 10:08 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Long Goodbye
The "rules of comity" in both the public and private sector dictate that ex-leaders keep criticism to themselves, but certain exceptions apply, and a question of national security might be one of them.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | May 12, 2009; 11:56 AM ET | Comments (9)
SARS Corporate Playbook
The private sector response -- especially for large global organizations -- is critical because many individuals look first to their employer, and its medical staff, for help in times of global health threats.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | April 27, 2009; 02:44 PM ET | Comments (0)
It's About Accountability, Stupid
A new age of GM accountability is dawning, but how will it work is in execution, not just in planning.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | March 30, 2009; 03:10 PM ET | Comments (3)
Pitchfork Populism
Nothing less than the credibility of public regulation is at stake in the debate over the House bill taxing bonuses. President Obama (and the Senate) must reject the bill and irrational politics behind it in favor of sensible policy choices on fair compensation.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | March 22, 2009; 10:31 PM ET | Comments (2)
Dangerous Obfuscation of Facts
Both AIG and the Obama administration seem to have been oblivious to the combustible nature of the bonuses and they compounded the problem with terribly inadequate communication. The real danger is losing public and political support for further reform of the financial system.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | March 18, 2009; 02:52 PM ET | Comments (0)
Friends In the Right Places
Like Clinton and Carter before him, Obama faces an enormous challenge in overhauling health care, but he also has what they didn't have: broad consensus among key congressional players.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | March 2, 2009; 03:34 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Tale of Two Cities
A latter day Dickens would say that the bonus backlash tells a tale of two cities which are sharply divided by culture----New York (driven by money) and Washington (driven by power).
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | February 2, 2009; 12:31 PM ET | Comments (1)
Past Is Not Prologue
The politics of campaign season are far different from the politics of governing. Can Obama make tough policy choices and manage complex decision-making processes?
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | January 12, 2009; 12:31 PM ET | Comments (0)
Be Thorough
The pressures for an immediate media strategy are enormous for President-elect Obama, but accuracy in fact-finding is far more important than speed.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | December 15, 2008; 11:47 AM ET | Comments (0)
Pay for Performance
Executives shouldn't work for nothing: They need incentives to meet their new commitments.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | December 8, 2008; 02:56 PM ET | Comments (2)
