On Success Panelists Archive by Category - On Success at washingtonpost.com

Wanting to believe

Sometimes it takes a fall from grace to transform into an instrument of leadership.

By Cleve Francis | November 22, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (3)

Persistence vs. resistance

The race does not go to the swift or to the strong but to the person who persists until the end.

By Willie Jolley | June 3, 2010; 09:49 PM ET | Comments (1)

Don't rush to judgment

From what I can tell, BP is taking a lot of responsibility for the accident.

By Tom Heath | May 20, 2010; 06:33 PM ET | Comments (0)

Ignore the man behind the curtain

The notion of hiding the truth is such an interesting phenomenon that some leaders pick up along the way. Actually, I don't think it's something they pick up. Rather, it is something they lose -- their integrity.

By Virginia Bianco-Mathis | May 20, 2010; 11:29 AM ET | Comments (0)

The buck stops here

BP is ultimately responsible for the spill. But our own regulatory agencies also have to make sure that we have the right rules in place.

By Cleve Francis | May 20, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (2)

Coming clean

Open and honest communication is not always the easiest approach, but it is certainly the most appreciated.

By Misti Burmeister | May 20, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)

Own It

When bad things happen, there is no substitute for telling the truth, telling it again, telling it often and as completely as possible.

By Patricia McGuire | May 20, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (3)

A stain on the Earth

Hayward could have stepped free of his role as corporate mercenary. He could have saved BP's image and gained the world's empathy and support. Instead, he appears like our leaders on Wall Street: culpable, witless, and sociopathic.

By Seth Kahan | May 20, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)

A shameful response

BP's reputation has all but been destroyed, not by the spill itself but by the way they have handled it.

By Nell Minow | May 20, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)

A golden opportunity

Toyota's troubles could not have come at a better time for the American auto industry.

By Michael J. Berland | April 26, 2010; 11:18 PM ET | Comments (1)

Revved up and ready

Ford Motor is a stellar example of a company that turned a drastic setback into an amazing comeback.

By Willie Jolley | April 26, 2010; 08:58 PM ET | Comments (4)

Gaining traction

Right now, the American auto manufacturers have an excellent chance at improving their reputation as carmakers, thus making them more competitive.

By Cleve Francis | April 26, 2010; 05:40 PM ET | Comments (0)

Don't fool yourself

Let me be brutally honest: The only people who truly believe that American cars are better than Asian cars are the people who have never owned both.

By Garrison Wynn | April 26, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (21)

Leading the way

Due to a sticky situation with accelerators and the beginning of the Volt-age, it is possible American automakers are making a comeback.

By Virginia Bianco-Mathis | April 26, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)

To tell the truth

My experience as a university president as well as a member of many boards has taught me a very clear lesson: an institution that confronts the disaster, tells the truth and communicates openly is far more likely to regain public confidence.

By Patricia McGuire | April 26, 2010; 12:00 AM ET | Comments (0)