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Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, recently settled a case in which Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the second son of the king of Bahrain, had sued him for breach of contract. Al Khalifa alleged he advanced millions to Jackson in a joint venture that Jackson failed to complete. According to Billboard magazine, the suit was settled literally as Jackson was boarding a flight to London to give a deposition.

Last Friday's Washington Post included a list from Carnegie Mellon Professor Linda Babcock contrasting salary negotiation differences between men and women.

"We've had some negotiation training and many of our employees are experienced negotiators. As a result, we need advanced negotiation strategies and tactics," some of my potential negotiation training clients tell me.

I usually respond with three thoughts. First, I indicate I would be happy to design an advanced program for them if that's what they really need. I stress, however, that we should spend some time evaluating their needs.

Jim Collins in his heavily researched bestseller, Good to Great -- Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't, found that transforming a good to a great company involved "getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figur(ing) out where to drive it."

He also noted that if you have significant doubts about a possible team member, keep looking.