It's been said that, for companies anyway, "culture is everything." Lou Gerstner, to whom this oft-quoted phrase is attributed, is the CEO who pulled IBM from near ruin in the 1990s — in part by transforming the Big Blue culture.

Phil Francis is executive chairman of PetSmart, Inc. — the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets.

Why do some companies and organizations perform at a high level year after year, through constantly shifting market conditions, while others are unable to adapt?

Recently a senior executive at a large financial services firm struggled to answer whether the client's interests come first, reported Dean Robert Mittelstaedt of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in his remarks at the convocation on May 13, 2010.

Alan Mulally, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Company, was honored recently as Executive of the Year by the Dean's Council of 100, a group of prominent business executives who advise the W.&nsbp;P. Carey School of Business.

The story sounds just like a John Grisham novel: The CEO of a West Virginia energy company spent more than $3 million to help a relative unknown unseat the incumbent and become a judge on the state's Supreme Court.

People who know Mike Figliuolo likely were unsurprised when he founded a training and development firm called "thoughtLEADERS, LLC" in 2004. Up to that point, every stage of his career led seamlessly to the next, as he groomed himself in teamwork, delegating, structure, strategy and leadership.

In the nation's hospitals, today's dread epidemics are Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile. At the office, the scary "bug" is boreout, according to a new book from Phillipe Rothlin and Peter Werder.

We all know the Best Buy brand — the big-box stores have been around for 30 years, populated by employees wearing blue shirts, selling products emblazoned with the yellow tag. Around 10 years ago, services began taking center stage — derailing some industry leaders and empowering others.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Tom Blondi, who has been involved with several start-ups, says it takes more than a great idea. Much as you might like the cheerleaders, what you need more is someone who will ask tough, specific questions.