Are you on crack?

Well, probably not. But you may share a problem with Charlie Sheen all the same. A story in today's New York Times argues that the real trouble for the actor who can't seem to stop shooting himself in the foot is not so much the substances he may or may not be abusing, but the fact that he's surrounded by a coterie of yes-men (and where-do-you-want-me-honey-women). Success strangely narrows the universe for the person enjoying it, obstructing the field of vision just when you most need to be able to see the truck bearing down on you, or the furtive scurryings going on at your feet.

So what I want you to ask yourself today - go look in the mirror while you're doing it - is: Am I like Charlie Sheen? Am I so surrounded by people who are invested in the status quo that we've forgotten to keep an eye on dangers and new opportunities? Is my reality, frankly, skewed? Remember that your business has a public persona, whether intended or not. Is your company's persona ranting drunkenly about Nazis outside a bar in Paris, or is it building schools for orphans in Kenya? Is it dropping the F-bomb at the Oscars, or is it advocating for world peace at the UN? Time to check in and find out.