One thing we can learn from blogger Bob Lefsetz is to seize the moment. A wannabe music journalist turned industry lawyer in the 1970s, he wormed his way into his original ambition by starting a trade publication, the Lefsetz Letter. Then, in 2000, he put it online, just in time for the war over music file-sharing ...

Mark Twain and Jesus had it right when they said we all are sheep. Business improvement guru and Good to Great author Jim Collins makes the same point in Great by Choice. There, he debunks some myths.

Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has spent 16 years turning one of the sorriest NFL franchises into one of the most feared and admired. Along with head coach Bill Belichick, he and the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and more games in the past 10 years than any other NFL team in any decade. In his pursuit of the team and the stadium, Kraft revealed how gifted he is at risk-taking.

The oil spill that has threatened both the sea life and the economy in the Gulf Coast illustrates two major flaws in the leadership of British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward: He allowed the company to run ahead of the technology available, and he blindly trusted outsourcing.

Here are six ways to guard against “black swan events,” those rare but catastrophic disasters that can take everything down with them, adapted from “The Six Mistakes Executives Make in Risk Management.”