About two-thirds of the way through a January 7th CNBC interview with President Barack Obama when the conversation turned to his Blackberry, Obama talked about his reasons for wanting to keep it, even in the face of vehement opposition. (The bolding is mine.)

“What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way. And I’ve got to look for every opportunity to do that–ways that aren’t scripted, ways that aren’t controlled, ways where, you know, people aren’t just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded.”

That bubble and associated danger, is what every boss, from the CEO of a Fortune 50 to small business owners, face every day.

The danger is real and comes from hearing only what a small group of people wants you to hear; all the news that fits the generally accepted world view and nothing that will upset their applecarts or you (in that order).

Technology can help, but it can also be a way to avoid interacting in a more personal manner. After all, it’s doubtful that you’re trying to stay connected to millions.

Where you can, you want to practice management by walking around, not just internally, but out with your customers and vendors.

When you can’t do it in person, use technology for town hall meetings; use wikis, blogs, and forums, too. Sharing your email address and encouraging contact can be very positive, but it’s worse than nothing if you don’t respond in a timely manner.

So make a list of possibilities and prioritize them.

But first things first—think through your circumstances in order to determine not just what you can afford financially, but in terms of time and energy—yours.

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If I had spent the entire year scouring for business quotes to fit this title I probably wouldn’t find as perfect a selection as the ten offered up by Business Week in the Worst Predictions About 2008.

Here are my favorites, which do you like?

The Bad

“I’m not an economist, but I do believe that we’re growing.” —President George W. Bush, July 15, 2008 Nope. GDP shrank at a 0.5% annual rate in the July-September quarter. On Dec. 1, the National Bureau of Economic Research declared that a recession had begun in December 2007. (I thought that’s why presidents have advisers, so they didn’t have to be an expert in everything.)

The Worse

“A very powerful and durable rally is in the works. But it may need another couple of days to lift off. Hold the fort and keep the faith!” —Richard Band, editor, Profitable Investing Letter, Mar. 27, 2008 (This is not the guy you want editing your investment advice.)

“I think Bob Steel’s the one guy I trust to turn this bank around, which is why I’ve told you on weakness to buy Wachovia.” —Jim Cramer, CNBC commentator, Sept. 15, 2008 Two weeks later, Wachovia shares lost half their value from Sept. 15 to Dec. 29. nearly failed as depositors fled. CEO Steel eventually  agreed to a takeover by Wells Fargo. (Can you imagine who he distrusts?)

The Ugly

“I expect there will be some failures…. I don’t anticipate any serious problems of that sort among the large internationally active banks.” —Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman, Feb. 28, 2008 In September, Washington Mutual became the largest financial institution in U.S. history to fail. Citigroup needed an even bigger rescue in November. (Come on. If you’re gonna head the Fed you need to prognosticate at least as well as you obfuscate!)

“In today’s regulatory environment, it’s virtually impossible to violate rules.” —Bernard Madoff, money manager, Oct. 20, 2007 On Dec. 11, Madoff was arrested for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme that may have cost investors $50 billion. (Unless your name is Bernie and you’ve been doing it for a decade.)

OK, your turn now. Click the link and choose your favorites or supply your own in comments.

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