Companies are often tempted to appease these groups lest they suffer harmful publicity or hostile regulation.

FORBES: Pressuring Business to Believe in Business

But Rodriguez is adamant that he acted legally and says his motive in ordering their destruction was to protect the identities of his CIA interrogators lest they suffer reprisals.

BBC: US & Canada

Some jobs can and have to be run in parallel, but one person should probably not be doing more than one thing literally at the same time, lest quality suffer.

FORBES: Multitasking: Good Or Bad?

On the other hand, if a franchisee insists he has to go above and beyond a brand standard to compete--say, by offering free broadband Internet service or extra pillows--Ledsinger has to know when to say okay. (Chains need to police the impulses to go up market, too, lest their other units suffer by comparison.) The warmth and fuzziness, he hopes, will trickle down.

FORBES: The Motelier