No Jobs speech at Macworld Expo

Exxon CEO talks about alternative fuels; advice for bailed-out CEOs; and 2008’s best corporate leaders

Jobs’ non-speech is big news: Steve Jobs’ appearance at Macworld Expo is so taken for granted that the announcement that he would not appear is rocking Apple watchers. The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation that the no-show is because of Jobs’ health; the CEO beat cancer several years ago.

No ‘quick fixes,’ Exxon CEO says: Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of the energy company, said in a speech at the Executives’ Club of Chicago that he hopes the Obama administration will take a realistic approach to alternative energy. “We must not think in terms of quick fixes over the next few months or the next one or two years,” Tillerson said.

Thank-you notes please: If the holiday party has been scaled back to fast food, think about other ways to show employees that you love them, says Carmine Gallo in BusinessWeek. “Adam Slutsky [CEO of Mimeo.com] makes it a point to send handwritten notes to each member of his team after successful initiatives,” Gallo writes.