I got to thinking about this subject while reading daily newspaper accounts of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that occupied headlines throughout Spring of 2010. Eleven oil platform workers lost their lives and many more were injured in the accident leading to the environmental catastrophe, which is still being played out as I write this in mid-June.

Hiring new employees is not something many of you had to concern yourselves with for the last couple of years. Most of you have been busier with the nasty task of laying off people for whom there was not enough work.

They are the backbone of our country, and of your industry, but oh those dilemmas!

Networking has become a buzzword to describe making business contacts in a social setting. I tend to use the term “schmoozing.” Call it what you will, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways of drumming up business-no small consideration in these hard times.

Everyone has heard the slogan, “The customer is always right.” And everyone who runs a business knows that it’s not true. Customers are often wrong. They complain about silly things, about things that are their own fault, about the 

Oh, I don’t really mean you, of course. I don’t expect anyone to fess up to being an overbearing SOB. But it’s a good bet you know plenty of other people who fit the description, right? And, just maybe, if you’re really willing to take a long, serious look at yourself … well, let’s just focus on all those other people for now.

A bizarre incident occurred near my community last winter that holds lessons for everyone in the business world. A suburban commuter train filled with hundreds of passengers during the morning rush was delayed for almost two hours while local police searched for a man aboard with a gun.

This month of October brings back memories of a history lesson that is loaded with meaning for everyone who runs a business.

In most industries, franchises have a much higher success rate than independent companies. That’s because franchises leave nothing to chance. Virtually all of their operations represent best practices that have been written into a series of procedures governing everything from “how to keep the books” to “how to greet customers” to “how to perform technical tasks.”

About a decade ago, I attended a seminar by businessman and author Jack Stack. He is known as the father of “Open-Book Management,” a methodology centered around sharing financial and decision-making duties among all employees.