During the Olympics, we watched the individual pursuits became the collective effort of a nation and one person's dream became the dream of an entire nation. The athletes themselves are quick to point out, what at first seems like individual achievements were only possible with the help of family, coaches, and a network of support. It is a lesson the corporate world should learn from. In business you see where the reckless pursuit of individual achievement can lead.

Despite a candidate's high profile and past accomplishments, due process still includes background checks in terms of resumes. It's the board's responsibility, not that of human resources, to make sure candidates are who they say they are. Transparency is key, and as we've seen in the case of Yahoo, those who do not abide by the rules do so at their own peril.

Is there a conflict between your organization's policies externally, and the ground rules it enforces internally? In today's world of many-to-many contact and community-building, philosophical alignment is no longer optional. And without alignment, there is hypocrisy.

Picture the grinning exec with the big cheque. While there are companies out there that still fit this description, it's generally become a dated notion. However, that doesn't mean all this "good work" is being done with the most altruistic motives.

Has David Suzuki ever bothered to talk to anyone who lived in a country that abandoned capitalism? Has he ever heard the story of a refugee from the Soviet Union? There are plenty of them around in Canada. But Suzuki, like most Canadian writers and broadcasters, just aren't interested in their stories.