Need for speed.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: Editorial

WE ALL HAVE our obsessions. Mine is with time. In a recent speaking engagement, I commented that the instant I turn the light on in my office each morning, I am behind for the day. Like many of you, I have a job that is impossible for one person to do. My fanciful wish is to clone myself, so that when I turn that light off each day my clone will roll in for the night shift to complete unfinished business and keep up the momentum of the day's labors.

These thoughts on time resonate as I pen this note on the first business day of 2007. The first days of a new year are unlike any other--except perhaps for birthdays and funerals--as markers of time's passing. Adding to the acuteness of these reflections is that 2006 marked my 30th year as an editor of business publications (25 of those years with DIRECTORS & BOARDS).

Life as an editor is always a race against time. So is life as a director. A board member has a limited amount of time to make a meaningful impact on an organization. That length of time has been extended--it's now running at 200 to 300 hours a year--but accomplished individuals still race against the clock in applying their expertise to address the needs of management and the organization.

Which brings us to the issue of DIRECTORS & BOARDS you hold in your hands. Time is an intimidating concept for editors assembling their publications. We know (and fret about) how tough it is for our readers to find the time to immerse themselves in the package of editorial matter that we offer up. Many publications are revising their menus to serve ever briefer, bite-sized chunks of content for the reader on the run (just see the redesigned Wall Street Journal).

Here at D & B we can't be...