Our Political Leaders Need a Fiscal Flight Plan

The U.S government is days away from the so-called Fiscal Cliff, the stakes are huge. Last week at HBR's 90th Anniversary event, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz remarked three possible ways the crisis could play out: First, Congress will take no actions by Dec 31, which will be disastrous to the US and to the world. Second (and most likely), they come up with Band-Aid solutions, and the problem will no doubt resurface. Third, they take actions that will put the country back on sound footing for the long term. Schultz favored the third solution — and we agree — but how can we achieve viable long term fiscal health? A metaphor might help.

Read the entire post at Harvard Business Review>>