The media has changed the way we communicate. If you plan to hold an audience - even an audience of one - you must now think in terms of brevity, pacing, and distinctive language... The language of people who only have a half a minute to sell you something.

End-of-the-Year rituals call for an evaluation of how well we performed vis-?-vis our goals. How close were we to our expressed targets? What adjustments will we have to make? What opportunities are emerging and how are we going to respond to them?... We invite you to add yet another element to this recap and discovery process: "What did I learn this year that I can add to my leadership toolkit?" In that spirit, we want to share ten " learnings" from 2006 we find particularly useful. Reflect on each of these thoughts as you prepare to face new challenges.