Chances are every one of us knows people who think they’re always right. It’s pretty tough dealing with them, isn’t it? At some point, it’s usually just easier to give in or give up. Of course, thinking that you’re right and actually being right are two completely different things. And if you’re a parent who has teenagers, this scenario probably describes a day in your life right now. Fortunately, the older we get, the more self-aware we become and it’s easier to accept when we’re wrong. Nonetheless, hopefully you’re right more often than you’re not.

I was recently having dinner with a friend who was telling me his plan to get in shape. He had always been on the skinny side and wanted to bulk up a bit. His plan was to gain 10 pounds over the following two months. Being a good friend, I told him he’d probably fail. My response may seem rude or pessimistic, but it was the truth. I’ve known this friend for a long time – long enough that we can give each other blunt feedback without taking offense – and setting fitness goals only to make zero progress was so common it was practically a ritual for him.

Volatile fuel costs are steadily becoming the new norm for consumers in the U.S. and much of the world. Earlier this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected the price of imported crude oil to peak at $115 per barrel this summer, but due to stagnant global economic growth backed by rising financial uncertainty in Europe, oil prices fell well below $100 in June. Predicting the cost of oil is contingent on many factors, yet it’s hard to deny the dramatic trend of rising fuel costs – today’s oil prices are more than four times what they were a decade ago.

This anaerobic digester calls Big Sky West Dairy in Gooding, Idaho, home but it is financed, owned and operated by AgPower Group based in Colorado. According to Bob Joblin with AgPower, the owner of the dairy realized the potential of a third-party system. “He was a progressive dairyman that understood what we were doing and had a need for it,” Joblin says.

When it comes to effective employee management, what’s the most important thing you can do to ensure you’re successful with your team? I’m sure we can all create a list of characteristics, concepts and techniques for effectively managing your workforce. But it’s a lot simpler than that. So let’s start at the very beginning. The most important thing you can do to make employee management easier and more effective is to hire better employees. Yeah, you probably already knew that.

Let’s begin by comparing owners/managers of two businesses. Our first business is a fast-food franchise that sells products specified by the parent firm to a largely unchanging clientele. Our second business is an upscale independent restaurant in an ever-changing retail location. The businesses are similar in volume of sales and net income. Let’s now compare the roles of the two managers. The first manager works in the business and manages employee hiring, scheduling/performance management and develops, monitors and improves all of the processes required to produce a consistent quality food product. He is primarily a worker and manager.

Just over 12 months ago, I reported Xcheque.com’s analysis of the delicate balance of supply and demand in the U.S. market. At that time, the milk price and margin available in the U.S. was at odds with the value of milk commodities in international markets. The conclusion that U.S. milk was undervalued has proved correct with prices rallying and a return to more sustainable margins for most of 2011. So how do things look one year later and what is the prognosis for the rest of 2012? Unfortunately, the current state of the market is an ugly sight and is only going to get worse if you believe that the futures market is a guide.