The Great Man theory explains history in terms of movers and shakers rather than trends and forces. Proponents believe that individuals are responsible for history’s turning points, and that if, say, the right leader were somehow abducted by aliens on the right day, that particular war might have been averted. Others argue that historical forces larger than any individual are at work, and that if you remove a figurehead, another would take its place and everything would proceed more or less the same way.
If you’re a fan of the former approach, you’ll enjoy the Guardian’s take on the 25 people most responsible for the financial meltdown. Go buy yourself a bunch of envelopes and stamps; you’ve got hate mail to write:
A former bond trader known as “the Gorilla”, [Dick] Fuld had been with Lehman for decades and steered it through tough times. But just before the bank went bust he had failed to secure a deal to sell a large stake to the Korea Development Bank and most likely prevent its collapse. Fuld encouraged risk-taking and Lehman was still investing heavily in property at the top of the market. Facing a grilling on Capitol Hill, he was asked whether it was fair that he earned $500m over eight years. He demurred; the figure, he said, was closer to $300m.
The Guardian: Twenty-Five people at the heart of the meltdown
According to 
There’s a thoughtful essay in the New York Times about the inefficient use of meetings, and how that impacts our productivity:
Book news site 
Back at St. Martin’s Press, I had the opportunity to work (all too briefly) with Robert Pagliarini, financial expert and author of