I've just got back from an invigorating two days at the University of Michigan, home to the Reuters Leading Edge management development program.  These days we hold two sessions per year and no matter where I am in the Reuters world I always make sure I get to Ann Arbor for at least a day.

It’s a great chance for me to hear what’s on the minds of some of our most talented people drawn from literally all over the world and I get a chance to share with them my latest thinking, unconstrained by email, blog or video format.  Issues on peoples minds which we discussed included how to save enough money in the core business to make room to permit investment in growth; are we investing enough in service resilience; is the organization optimally aligned, especially between divisions and GSSO; what’s the future of media focusing on the Reuters Editorial as well as user generated content; what’s the role acquisitions can play in our strategy, and what was my rationale for the Factiva sale (on which see earlier post); etc. 

As you can see, the issues are important ones and I get as much from the discussion as those attending the program.