One business leader on 'self-awareness'

My favorite newspaper is The New York Times. Of course, my favorite issue of the week is Sunday. There are sections of the Sunday Times that can be savored all week long -- or longer if I don't stay on top of things (last week's magazine section is still in the "I'll-get-to-it-soon" reading pile). But I've just realized that my favorite sections of the Sunday Times are Sunday Business and Week In Review.

And my favorite part of those is the "Corner Office" column on page 2 of Business.

Each week, a CEO or top-level biz exec answers a series of very straightforward questions about leadership: What was it like the first time as a manager? What questions do you ask in an interview? How do you hire?

The questions are mundane and similar week to week, but the answers surprise and delight. They make me marvel at how similar -- and how different -- top-level managers think and act.

A line today that struck me, in answer to a question about what skills Laura Ching, co-founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of TinyPrints.com looks for:

"... I also want to get a sense of [the person's] emotional I.Q. Self-awareness is really big for me. When it comes to the review period, I'll evaluate you, and you'll evaluate yourself. Some people are right on in terms of their performance -- or even better, their worst critic -- and I think it says a lot about their maturity and their insightfulness and wanting to get better."

What are your 'entitlements'?

I am among those who think the President's budget proposal is a bit cynical. It leaves tough decisions to the GOP. I even agree with Obama's critics who accuse him of "kicking the can down the road," as he famously commented in one of his books.

I think it would be fine to touch the "third rail" of politics. I think it's logical to raise the age of retirement; it was set when the average life expectancy was about 67. The average American (even given our best efforts to kill ourselves with lousy diets and lack of exercise, and counter this with high-priced healthcare ... a story for another day) now lives to be 79.

But let's look at the meaning of "entitlement." When does war become an entitlement? Is healthcare a right or a privilege? (I maintain it's a right, but that all rights require equal parts of personal responsibility.) What about education -- is it a right or an entitlement that I believe my kids should receive an education that prepares them for a successful 21st-century future, IF they work hard to succeed?