I have the good fortune to be working with a staff that is multitalented. Senior editor Brian Glaser, for example, is a quick and facile writer, possessing good technical chops (useful for someone who puts a website together every day), and is, I'm told, a pretty decent drummer. Our other editor on staff, David Hechler, is a patient mentor to the young and a terrific copy doctor.

Hechler also loves to sink his teeth into deeply reported investigative pieces of his own. He delves into the allegations of whistleblowers. He studies technical reports and fashions detailed narratives of legal departments that ignore or somehow don't see serious product flaws. Last year, that ability led him to write a seminal article on how Toyota's legal department was blindsided by reports of unintended acceleration. It refocused attention on automobile safety. And Hechler added a couple of awards to his trophy shelf.

But Hechler is also a student of how people work together. He possesses a genuine curiosity about institutions and whether they're at the top of their game or not. He's chronicled nonprofit organization follies and legal departments that take on logistical help; lately, he's been fascinated by how in-house departments find and keep talent. Hiring is probably one of the toughest jobs for a manager and a department. You have to find an almost magical combination of skills, personality and just someone who will fit into an existing culture. It takes time and tons of effort.