David has recently joined the Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors for the media section of The 2008 American Business Awards.

What was the best Christmas present you ever received?
When I was about 10 years old I received an art set that included a wood-burning tool. My brother and I burned our names into everything. Everything.

What book are you currently reading?
I just picked up Steve Berry’s The Alexandria Link: A Novel. Hope to start it soon …

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
It’s an old one: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We watch it together as a family every year. I recommend everyone making it a tradition–it’s always funny.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
Who has time for hobbies? I enjoy design, architecture, and photography. My job allows me to be around these things on a daily basis,

Who is your favorite historical figure?
I hate this question. Maybe Frank Lloyd Wright? Whether you like his style or not, he had vision and brought it to life.

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“Try the famous echo in the Reading Room of the British Museum” 
Gerard Hoffnung, 1954

Do not be deceived by that stiff upper lip.  Underneath a repressed and conventional exterior the British are a deeply emotional race, and they like to see feelings frankly displayed in the workplace. Especially men. You will be amazed at the effect if you take the initiative emotionally. If a British man does a good piece of work for you, don’t stop at saying a bare thank-you or congratulations. Give him a big hug right in front of everybody and tell him how deeply you love him as a person, not just as a fellow worker. This is called hands-on management.

The British are very flexible about working hours, so long as they are given strong leadership. Make it very clear that you expect jobs to be finished even if it means weekend working, or a special journey or effort, or giving up time from a sport, hobby, or family activity.  You might detect a sullen attitude when you make these demands, particularly late on a Friday afternoon, but the employee will actually be delighted to be singled out in this way, and valued more highly than other employees. Reinforce this message by making a point of letting others leave early when you ask the valued employee to stay in.

The British are at their best when dealing with a difficult customer. With any British business, large or small, try to make your order unusual, outside the normal specifications of the business. The company will be delighted to show how it can meet your needs. This will be shown in the phrase: “We don’t get much demand for that here” expressed on a rising note of pleasure and surprise.

At an official level, the British work best when they are unencumbered by red tape and paperwork and are able to use their initiative to solve a problem. If you are asked to bring a set of official documents to a meeting, make a point of not bringing at least one of the documents. For example, with a tax official you will get on so much quicker if you say: “Look, I don’t think either of us want to wade through all these invoices and records.”

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Blogs, or web logs, are all the rage these days. Each month in this space we'll point you to several blogs that we think might be of interest to you.

Iowa Caucus Blog : Read up on political commentaries from seasoned Des Moines Register journalist David Yepsen.
The Swamp : Political blogs on Washington from Chicago Tribune reporters and more …
The Daily Kos : Created in 2002, this site now receives about 600,000 daily visits and carries blogs from from the likes of President Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi, dozens of other senators, congressmen, and governors, plus tens of thousands of regular folk.
Newsbusters : Started in 2005 as a project of the Media Research Center (MRC) as a blog to document, expose, and neutralize liberal media bias.