There’s a tug-of-war happening in today’s business technology environment, between traditional IT roles and end users of technology. The recent scandal over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of private email service and home server instead of IT resources approved by the organization perfectly highlights the struggle, which is fundamentally centered on how companies get the most from their technology and their IT departments.

I was lucky enough to attend Super Bowl XL. The experience is one in a million. Two top teams, amped up to play the most important game of their lives. But then the live action just stops, for what seems like a really long time. Why? The network is airing commercials.

Incidents and events once considered local issues are spilling over borders and having global repercussions.

With sanctions lifted and a massive stockpile waiting, Iran is ready to flood the market with more oil. But the ramifications to an already deflated price per barrel are global in reach.

I don’t claim to be an expert on parenting or education, but like many I had a fair amount of skepticism when I noticed how my daughter did her math problems. Gone were the rote times-tables, memorization, and lengthy explanations that I grew up with – all replaced by number lines and boxes. Exercising patience, I spent some time thinking and reading about the new theories in math education and admit, I became a convert.

As I write this, a Bloomberg headline screams “Global Stocks Fall as China Moves Unnerve Markets,” which is certainly not the first bearish piece we’ve seen over the past few weeks. This challenging environment reinforces the importance of seeking new ways to grow and to enter new markets (see our recent InSights article for some thoughts on how to tackle this).

It’s the time of year again when experts everywhere get out their crystal balls and predict what’s to come in the year ahead.

They measure historical trends, tap into reams of data and try to sound very smart. While many of their insights seem credible, some leave us scratching our heads. Certainly we will all use our smartphones more.

We in the consulting world pride ourselves on giving good advice, hoping that our clients will heed it. If they don’t, shame on them. And if we ourselves don’t listen? Shame on us.

Guilty as charged.

My partner at HighPoint, Sumeet Goel, addressed the issue of poor written communication in a recent blog post. It got me thinking about our reliance on technology, particularly the effects of messaging and email.

I’m a die-hard Philly sports fan.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, I was indoctrinated at an early age, living, eating and breathing the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers (much to my parents’ chagrin). I stuck with them despite a family move to the New York area, and got a second fix returning to Philly for college. And despite subsequent moves to other fan-fanatic cities like Boston, New York and now LA, I remain loyal to my teams.

When HighPoint Senior Advisor Jim Bennett penned a HighPoint InSights article last year on the importance of corporations building trust, who knew it would become such a hot topic in recent months? As Jim pointed out, trust isn’t just a nice perk achieved while growing market share and profitability. Trust can directly impact your ability to retain and grow your business.