A dozen Shop Talk posts you might have missed

While reflecting back on the year, I found that these posts still said something to me. Perhaps they will to you, too. Happy New Year, readers.

"The business world needs more wisdom, ethical conduct and compassion," October 9.

"Orange or Blue? - the power of brands," January 28.

"Cold calling with dignity (yours and the prospect's)," March 8.

"Are CEOs powerless to lead?" March 7.

"More Most Significant Change (MSC) - how to use for business?" April 19.

"Prospecting yields are low--get used to it," April 5.

"Networking: burden or pleasure? It depends on how you approach it," May 2.

"Yet more mistakes," June 1.

"Private Equity companies great business strategists? Baloney!" August 28.

"Predicting the future is hard: ask a psychic," August 14.

"If you can raise prices, don't hesitate," August 9.

"The Dissent-Free Organization: a worst practice," October 2.

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Top 10 articles of the year

10 (tie). "Consumed: Boxed Set (the Buddha Machine)," Rob Walker, New York Times Magazine, July 29. The story of the most innovative music package in recent memory.

10 (tie). "Beyond Pokémon: Nintendo DS Goes To School in Japan," Yukari Iwatani Kane. Wall Street Journal, July 11. Video games are not just for goofing around anymore.

9. "Do Startups Really Need Business Plans?" Kelly Spors. Wall Street Journal, January 9. Going against the conventional wisdom.

8. "How Managers' Everyday Decisions Create--or Destroy--Your Company's Strategy," Joseph Bower and Clark Gilbert. Harvard Business Review, February.

7. "How Leaders Create and Use Networks," Herminia Ibarra and Mark Hunter. Harvard Business Review, January. There were several fascinating articles on using personal networks this year. This was the best.

6. "Strategic Insight in Three Circles," Joel Urbany and James Davis. Harvard Business Review, November. Creating and communicating a strategy using a Venn diagram.

5. "The Value Captor’s Process: Getting the Most out of Your New Business Ventures," Rita Gunther McGrath and Thomas Keil. Harvard Business Review, May. Companies can do a lot better with products that don't make the final grade, if they employ some basic tactics to get value from them.

4. "Can a Company Be Run As a Democracy?" Jaclyne Badal. Wall Street Journal, April 23. The subject of a growing number of articles this year. Perhaps this is telling us something.

3. "A Leader's Framework for Decisionmaking," Dave Snowden and Mary Boone. Harvard Business Review, November. How to navigate the maze of business problems, from simple to chaotic, using the Cynefin framework.

2. "Poisoned Toothpaste in Panama Is Believed to Be From China," and other articles by Walt Bogdanich et al. on the subject of tainted Chinese products. New York Times, May-October.

1. "At the Pentagon, an 'Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure,'" Jonathan Karp. Wall Street Journal, May 14. How one part of the US government uses stories of "worst practices" to help guide people in their ethical decisionmaking.

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Top 10 Blog Posts of the Year

Of all the blog posts I read this year, these had the most impact on me. Reviewing these, it occurs to me that blogging is really maturing into a vibrant, diverse art form. Let me know if you agree.

10. "Top 8 Reasons Consulting Doesn't Work," Achieve Market Leadership (Crimson Consulting). Author: Rick Sklarin.

9. "Why do people refer?" Duct Tape Marketing. Author: John Jantsch.

8. "Connectivity Trumps Productivity," Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness. Author: Patti Anklam. It really does! So we can all stop stressing out and just meet more people. Let's go!

7. "Web 2.0: The Machine is Us/ing Us." YouTube post. Creator: Michael Wesch. Words can't summarize it. Just watch.

6. "How to make rows more creative," Cognitive Edge guest blog. Author: Max Boisot. "Rows" meaning fights. Not fistfights, that is, but disagreements among colleagues. Great reading for those who want to encourage dissent in their workplace.

5. "The Electron Economy Part 1," Green Thoughts. Author: Michael Hoexter. A series of posts, now up to part 9 (!) advocating a move to electric power for most devices as the best way to save the planet.

4. "Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace," apophenia. Author: danah boyd. A thoughtful and courageous post.

3. "Mana for the Masses," Hobby Princess. Author: Ulla-Maaria Mutanen. About the spirit that inhabits things others have used.

2. "Can limitations and restrictions be liberating?" Presentation Zen. Author: Garr Reynolds. The title says it all. The answer, by the way, is yes.

1. "How to hit the Enterprise 2.0 bullseye," The Impact of IT on Businesses and their Leaders. Author: Andrew McAfee. Connecting enterprise 2.0 to business value via examining the relationships between colleagues and others in the enterprise.

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