Joe, a successful leader, is deeply frustrated. The strategic planning system that once served him well is failing. Regardless of his best-laid plans, other forces in the organization are overriding his strategies.

During a recent interview with a big Los Angeles-area newspaper, a reporter asked me, “Is America now in permanent decline?” My answer was, “No.” Our country is not in permanent decline. But I’m concerned that our leadership is.

Anyone who has seen pictures of the giant, red-hot cauldrons in which steel is made—fed by vast amounts of carbon, and belching flame and smoke—would not be surprised to learn that steelmaking is one of the world’s leading industrial sources of greenhouse gase

As best as I can recall, I’ve never coined a phrase with any staying power. Until now. And, my phrase has been purposely captured on a T-shirt, by someone other than a close relative.

(Verisurf: Anaheim, CA) -- ATS International B.V. and Verisurf Software Inc. have signed a technology partnership agreement to integrate Verisurf Software with ATS CM4D software to automate product-quality validation solutions and further developments in this field.

(Brunson: Kansas City, MO) -- Brunson Instrument Co. has launched the Brunson EasyConnect instrument mounting system, the newest addition to its line of instrument stand accessories.

(API: Rockville, MD) -- Automated Precision Inc. (API) has reached a long-term agreement with software provider New River Kinematics. As a result of this agreement, API trackers, such as the Radian, will continue to work with NRK’s SpatialAnalyzer software.

(Creaform: Lévis, Quebec, Canada) -- Creaform, a leader in portable 3D measurement solutions and 3D engineering services, has launched the MetraSCAN-R series of robot-mounted optical CMM 3D scanners for automated inspection on and off the production line.

(Delcam: Birmingham, UK) -- The 2013 release of Delcam’s inspection and reverse-engineering software, PowerINSPECT, offers unique dual-device inspection options that allow measurement with two portable devices at the same time.