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The article presents insights from various chief executives of Australian companies on the leadership abilities that chief executives must possess. Australian Securities chairman David Gonski believes that executives must be humble and pursue to improve everyday for the betterment of their companies. Pat Grier of Ramsay Health Care Inc. conceives that good executives know how to adjust on all conditions. Robert Milliner of Mallesons Stephens Jacques states that executives must do right things.

The article looks at the leadership abilities and strategies of the founders and chief executives of companies included in "BRW" magazine's Fast 100, a list of the fastest-growing companies in Australia based on turnover from 2006 to 2007. According to the chief executives, the hallmarks of successful leadership include the ability to motivate staff, ability to delegate, being visionary and the ability to listen and make difficult decisions.

Reports on the magazine's list of Australia's 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Fastway Couriers recording the highest growth rate in the list's history; Success of Multimedia Technology, Powerlan Technologies, Fernwood Fitness Centre and others; Chart of growth for the five years between 1993 and 1997 for all 100 companies; Charts presenting the results of a survey of the heads of the top organizations on the list.

Reports on women executives in Australia who have reached the top of their companies and seem poised to become chief executives. Magazine's choice for the 50 women who could be chief executives; Comments from the women surveyed; How their stamina and resolve sets them apart; Importance of gaining exposure to all facets of the business; Difference in management style between women and men; List of the top 50 women executives. INSETS: Cross-pollination of styles gets a chance;Americans over here;The calculated rise of Meredith Brooks, by Maureen Murrill.

Presents a photo layout of Australian businesspeople in designer suits. Comments from Charles Medel as well as other businesspeople on their suits; Photographed at the Observatory Hotel in Sydney, New South Wales; Price information.

Explains how executives could uncover enormous opportunities for their business through structured thinking about the future. First-mover advantage; Identification of the social, environmental, political and economic risks of today's business decisions; Futures methodologies; Alternative views of the future; Effect of choices in the present; Capitalist world; Community world.

Reports that chief executives of Australia's top companies favor a move towards a republic that they suggest would offer an opportunity for a `re-branding' of Australia in a globalized economy. Little downside seen in the change from a constitutional monarchy; Business leaders reluctant to upset monarchist Prime Minister John Howard; Eve Mahlab of Westpac Banking Corp. leading the public support for a republic; Stance of business groups. INSET: Women and a republican Australia..

The article discusses the need for a business executive to use wisdom in decision making. Wisdom provides the perspective on all competing information and to make judgements that are informed, ethical and strategic. A manager's job is not to maximise the market share price in the short term, but to guarantee that the longer-term value of the firm grows.

The article reveals the high proportion of managers who overlook poor behavior due to a feeling of being unequipped to handle the problem or are averse to conflict, based on a study by iHR Australia. Observation shows the growing number of allegations of inappropriate behavior made against senior members of staff. Rapid Insights Director Gavan Podbury thinks that arguing, behavioral issues and conflict are more prevalent between a staff and superior. Examples of inappropriate behavior in the workplace include acting in a childish manner and bullying.

The article presents a case study on the different management styles managers should adopt depending on their employees' stage of development. It relates the views of Gayle Avery, professor of Macquarie Graduate School of Management and Nick Forster, professor of Graduate School of Management in University of Western Australia.

Presents information on the support of business for tax reform in Australia. How business leaders do not want to forgo income tax cuts for a lower corporate tax rate; Their drive for lower corporate taxes and the conflict it represents; Federal government's desire to cut company taxes; Alliance of various business groups to lobby for reform; Support for Prime Minister John Howard's efforts to push legislation through the senate. INSETS: A state of mind;The born-again PM.

Presents information on John McFarlane and what he learned after he became the Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ). The traps Australia holds for unwary business executives from overseas; ANZ's exposure in Asia; The bank seen as underweight in consumer banking; Attitude of ANZ and other Australian banks to overall credit risk; Other lessons he learned.

Reports on the results of the Reark Research for the BRW survey of chief executives for December of 1997. Future profitability of Australian companies divided the impact of the South-East Asian currency crisis; Services and manufacturing sector predicting increases in revenue; Contrasting conditions in Australian industry; Business conditions forecasts; Reasons for expected business improvement; Staffing forecasts. INSET: Howard squeaks ahead..

Reports on the diary-keeping habits of Australian business executives. Reason for diaries; Unfavorable attitude on note-taking.

The article focuses on the result of the survey regarding the changing relationship between personal assistants and their executive charges.

The article reports that start-up founders are becoming addicted to their smartphones. It is reported that out of 96% of founders of BRW Fast Starters firms who own a Blackberry of iPhone, 76% have it switched on 24 hours a day. Ian Whitworth, the director of corporate staging and audio visual rental company Scene Change, says that using smartphones is not a problem, as long as staff are trained and informed about the proper use of smartphones.

The article focuses on the statement of Quentin Jones, the managing director of the consulting firm Human Synergistics, that the economic downturn during the global financial crisis was responded by many Australian managers in a highly primitive way.

An interview with ThinkSmart founder and chief executive Ned Montarello is presented. He names Warren Buffet as his admired business leader due to his ability to keep things simple and be validated without commanding his subordinates. He shares, to find the right balance of life and work while keeping one's own sense of humor, is the best advice he received. Regarding his reading choice, he mentions the book "$12 Million Stuffed Shark," by Don Thompson.

The article presents the author's views on how leaders should act for their people. He states that in business, managers should keep everything under control to have a complete productivity. He adds that a nation needs a smart leader who will concentrate and work his job with consideration to the people and not only for his own. He also cites strategies that a nation must do before going into an alarming situation under a glorious leader which covers the problem's definition and description.

The article presents insights of Ken Wall, a consultant specializing in teaching thinking skills, on the importance of being an employer who encourages a thoughtful work environment. According to Wall, executives who do not promote such environment risk poor productivity, hostility among staff, and unenergetic workforce. He adds that being a non-thinking boss can lead to an organization where employees are afraid to express their opinion. Signs of being a non-thinking boss are also cited.

An interview with PoolWerx chief executive officer John O'Brien is presented. When asked about his number-one tip for managing people, he said that it is important that managers ask questions and listen to their subordinates. He relates that purchasing a competitor is the cheapest way to succeed, which is the best piece of advice he ever received. He also shares that he balances his work-life by allocating one week each month as a nonworking week to bond with his family.

The article provides information related to executives and business condition. It profiles Peter Costello and discusses the reason why he was not part of the 2009 BRW Executive Rich list. It cites an interview with an executive of Babcock & Brown Ltd. regarding the insolvency of the company and the status of its executives. It discusses the issue of tax evasion in Switzerland when two individuals are said to have deposited ill-gotten wealth on the country's august banking institutions.

The article reports on a research by WorkSafe Victoria indicating the insensibility of senior management when it comes to workplace safety in Australia. According to workplace support and education manager Jill McCabe, the result of the research has given organisations a hint on how to shape supervisors and upper management's attitudes. Of the 1160 supervisor respondents, 33 per cent reveal their disconnection to the senior management particularly because of their attitudes toward the issue.

The article focuses on the subliminal factors that influence the decision of business executives. It discusses the insights of management professor Sydney Finkelstein of the Tuck School of Business in Dartmouth, New Hampshire, highlighting the relation of neuroscience in management decision-making. It explores Finkelstein's four internal biases that often lead to bad decisions, including inappropriate pre-judgements, inappropriate experience, self-interest, and attachments.

The author reflects on the office romances in the workplace. He states that a love relationship between two employees may affect job performance and relationships with other colleagues. He stresses the need for the organisations to lay out policies for office romances so as to prevent the threat of sexual harassment, unfair dismissal and discrimination litigation. Further discussions on the issue of office affairs are provided.

The article reports on the finding by Exit-Info in Australia that bad managers are responsible for 20 percent of employee resignations and that most organizations do not know that bad management is one of the reasons. Employees usually give acceptable reasons during their exit interviews in order to get good feedback.

The author suggests people not to feel envious when other people do act many actions simultaneously, like carrying on a conversation while tapping out an electronic-mail and listening to their iPod. He cites a study conducted by the University of California which reveals that distracted individual store information in a part of the brain differently in compared to those who are more focused learners. The result of the study shows that distracted individuals cannot recall information easily.

The author claims that managers follow fashions, whether in the clothes they wear, the books they read or the foods they eat. He points out that business management is prone to fashions and managers enjoy the satisfaction of being leading edge. He believes that conformity is the antithesis of inspiring leadership and it is the enemy of innovation and free spirit.

The article relates an author's view on how management should handle employees during a sale of a business enterprise. The management concerns for their employees include the fear of losing jobs, the subsequent changes that might occur with a new owner and the effect on employee morale. It has been said that the business can prepare workers for the transition by having employment agreements.

Cites the web site Badbossology.COM which was created to discuss and improve the way bosses manage their staff. List of publications where the site's archive of management material is based; Aim of the site to be constructive, balanced and pragmatic rather than antagonistic; Other features of the site which concentrate on problem solving and practical ways to cope with difficult managers.

Gives guideline and ideas on how to resolve an executive conflict. Incident in which the managing director of executive coaching firm Hewsons, Richard Hewson, was called to a company where two executives were in conflict; Five guidelines given by Hewson to help resolve an executive conflict; Assertion that the most effective way to handle rivalry between executives is for their line manager to focus on the issues causing the frictions, rather that delving into the individuals' behavior.

Discusses the meaning of "competition" for Australian companies. Arguments presented by the supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles when arguing that they are competition; Concerns that risk aversion is becoming the norm among Australian executives; Failure of oligopolies to foster innovation.

Discusses how companies can foster entrepreneurship internally. Short-sightedness of executives' rejection of new business ideas; Policies adopted by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. and Carter Holt Harvey Ltd.; Benefits of a suggestion box.

Reports that senior managers in many industries are acutely aware of how little they know as they deal with the complexities of change. Need for new ways of looking at old problems; Inadequacies of short-course adult education delivered face to face; Contrast with the teaching methodologies of Knowledge Universe Co. and Corpedia Inc.

Asserts that to learn needed management skills, managers should first accept that there is no absolute right or wrong way. Comparison between past and current management practices; Changes brought about by total quality management, re-engineering and outsourcing; Need for good intellectual capacity.

Reveals the results of DDI Asia Pacific company's international study on executive succession. Element of `hit and miss' in executives' approach to succession planning; Types of structured assessment which they failed to use; Link between baby boomers' retirement and projected shortage of leaders.

Presents the views of Peter Ritchie, chairman of McDonald's Corp., regarding the effect of career demands on family life. Regret for having neglected children; Difficulty of repairing damage to relationship with children.

Presents the views of Barry Jackson, managing director of the manufacturing group Pacifica, on balancing work and family lives. Advantage of having an independent and capable wife; Garnering of fresh perspective on society through interactions with the non-business community; Dutifulness in informing family of extended time at work.

Interviews Bard Cooper, the chairman and chief executive of FAI Home Security. His campaign for a National Kindness Week; The nature of giving in Australia; The country's future; The importance of companies becoming kinder companies; The desire people have for recognition and appreciation that outweighs their desire for money.

Discusses how electronic mail is used by executives and others in the business world. Example of how Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems handles his e-mail as he would any other type of inquiry; Queries sent to McNealy answered by his public relations firm; Junk e-mails; How most chief executive officers rate their own Internet ability.

Discusses the war on drugs from the perspective of an Australian executive. How government bureaucracy could end the war on drugs; Sarcastic view of the war on drugs in the United States.

Reports on the opinion of business leaders in Australia on corporate crime levels in the 1990s. Poll suggesting that there seems to be less corporate crime in the 1990s compared to the 1980s; Retail industry perceiving that there is more crime; Queensland having the biggest perceived improvement among the states.

Reports that European business executives believe that Great Britain and Spain offer the region's best short-term economic potential. Findings of the survey by UPS Europe Business Monitor; Executives' high ranking of the political environment in Great Britain; Germany to have the greatest export growth; European economic and monetary union (EMU) seen as foremost in the minds of business leaders.

Profiles Australian Richard Cox, general manager of New South Wales motorists' organization NRMA and weekend umpire. How umpiring is like management; Cox's management style; NRMA's corporate culture; Comments from Cox on his experience as an umpire.

Presents information on the two basic types of manager X and Y as well as other types. Y seen as supportive and X as authoritarian; Workers responding better to different types; Differing management styles; Awful managers, bullying and change managers, dull or duplicitous managers, evangelical and grandiose managers; Why they receive little attention in management theory.

Reports that according to the annual enterprise survey conducted by the Internet consultancy www.consult Australia's executives are finding the Internet more complex than first thought. Comments from Ramin Marzbani of www.consult; Description of survey respondents; Statistics on corporate Internet use; Money spent to promote Web sites; Main industry sectors that lead the on-line race.

Discusses the findings of a Reuter Business Information report on the stressful effect of information overload on Australian business managers. `Dying for Information,' the name of the report; The percentage of managers suffering from stress and having other difficulties with information handling and usage.