Commentary
On the Way to Pension Reform
Seattles new changes are a good start, but more substantive work must be done.
The bankruptcy of Detroit which was $18 billion in debt and had to cut pension benefits for many municipal workers shows how critical it is for cities to have meaningful pension reform. Seattle recently took important first steps to change its pensions, but more fundamental reforms are needed. Pension commitments have become one of the…
What Does It Take to Become a Best Company to Work For?
Were often asked how businesses make the list.
People like to rave about companies that have pool tables in their lounges, free massages at employees desks and Friday afternoon happy hours at favorite watering holes. But seldom will such perks make us passionate about the companies we work for. What gets us out of bed every morning excited about going to work involves…
Final Analysis: The Myth of Heroic Invention
Next time youre craving the latest smartphone, watch 'Death by Design' instead.
Death by Design sounds like a Woody Allen film. Its not. Its a documentary by Sue Williams, who has been making films in and about China for 30 years. And its kind of scary. Death by Design isnt strictly about China, but that countrys role in the production of our sleek, sophisticated digital gadgets is…
Final Analysis: Wont You Come Home, Bill Boeing?
How can we celebrate such a momentous birthday when the honoree doesnt even live here?
Elsewhere in this month’s issue youll find congratulatory notes honoring The Boeing Company on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. Allow me to add my own felicitations. I just wonder if we all might get a little more jazzed about this upcoming centennial the actual date is July 15 if Boeing were still an honest-to-goodness…
Editor’s Note: Dont Worry; Be Happy
The tech disruption is unsettling, but it happened before and Seattle survived and thrived!
Seattles geek influx seems to be causing a disturbance in the force. The New York Times Timothy Egan worries that Amazon has become a large foreign presence growing inside us. At risk, old-timers say, is Seattles very identity as a culturally rich, economically diverse city. Such concerns have merit. Heavy hiring by Seattle tech companies…
Final Analysis: Flying Higher
How a certain local airline could strike a blow for fairer treatment of college athletes.
Heres a thought: While Alaska Air Group spends $2.6 billion swallowing up Virgin America, it should wield some of its new clout Alaska will soon be the nations fifth-largest air carrier on becoming the college athletes best friend. Alaska already showers upon the University of Washington nearly $5 million a year for naming rights to…
Virgin on Business: Makers Mark
Lets celebrate the indelible imprint of manufacturing.
We live in a digital world, do we? Ha! Try driving your digital car from your home constructed of ones and zeroes to a grocery store made of the same stuff to buy food consisting of bits and bytes. Digital has its uses and value in enhancing communication, streamlining commerce and providing entertainment (that is,…
Letters to the Editor
Our readers weigh in.
PORT OF SEATTLE As a resident of Seatac and one who works just south of Harbor Island, I share a much less enthusiastic view of the Port of Seattle. Little in your March issue addressed the negative impacts. And I question if Lance Lyttle, a man used to the wide-open spaces of Houston and Atlanta,…
Editor’s Note: Japan Awaits
Looking to expand to Asian markets? China isnt the only option.
When it comes to exports, most people think first of China. After all, with a population of 1.4 billion, it is the worlds largest economy. But while a handful of corporate giants like Starbucks are minting money there, Chinas unfriendly regulators and rampant intellectual property theft are giving many American companies pause. Enter Japan. Once…
Leading Organizational Transformation
Lessons from Seattles hometown cruise line and its new president.
People have been talking about the importance of change as a critical management practice for decades. No matter how many approaches we recycle, one timeless truth returns to us again and again: Change is profoundly difficult and wed prefer not to do it. And those who try often fail. Its staggering how many costly failures…
Final Analysis: Am I Ready to Share a Bike? Not exactly.
Not until I can be sure Im safe on the streets of Seattle.
On a recent visit to New York City, I marveled at the sheer bravery of the people using Citi Bike, New Yorks bike-share program. Or maybe it was their audacity that struck me. Many of these helmetless people weaving around delivery trucks and taxicabs and metro buses seemed to be my age which equates to…
Editor’s Note: All Aboard!
An efficient light-rail system makes good sense for a Greater Seattle.
Light rail in Seattle has been a disappointment. The train trip from downtown to the airport, for example, usually takes nearly twice as long as by car. But with two new stations opening up recently in hard-to-reach locations, commuters may finally begin to see value in the system. Hop on the train at Westlake Center…
The Art of Making Change
If your business is doing things the way its always done them, youre not just standing still; youre moving backward.
If you keep doing what youve always been doing, youll keep getting what youve always gotten. Im sure youve heard some version of this saying. Youve read it in a dozen books; youve heard it in a dozen motivational speeches. (If that last part is true, congratulations on surviving a dozen motivational speeches.) If you…