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By Jim Mathis More than 20 years ago, the September 14, 1992 issue of Forbes magazine carried an article entitled, “Why Do We Feel So Bad When We Have It So Good?” I kept the issue because there has not been a time since then, or at any time before for that matter, when this has not been the case. For some reason we have a tendency, even at the best of times, to moan and groan about things being or becoming bad.

By Rick Boxx Businesses are often so driven by the bottom line – maximizing profits – that they are reluctant to increase payroll costs. Such a strategy might boost profit margins over the short term, but can have a disastrous long-term impact on the people who perform the work to make the company profitable. On numerous occasions I have observed that this overemphasis on the business’s bottom line can cause considerable discontent in lower-paid workers, like we have seen repeatedly in the news as workers speak out and protest in a quest for higher wages. Numerous factors can affect a worker’s sense of contentment on the job, but feeling undercompensated is one of the greatest causes of discontentment.

By Jim Lange Some time ago I was thinking about one of my past assignments while serving as a leadership consultant. During this time, I was working with a local company for a couple of days per week, providing leadership and counsel for turning the company around and resolving some serious internal challenges. My role was to develop a game plan to assist the company wherever I felt they needed help, and then provide guidance for implementing that plan.

By Robert J. Tamasy In recent years it has been my privilege to write several books telling the histories and legacies of multi-generational, family-owned companies. Two of these trace their beginnings to the early 1930s, and today they are transitioning into a fourth generation of family leadership. Their stories are inspiring.