My lunch companion arrived fifteen minutes late. “My phone has begun to ring again,” he explained, “which is a good sign for the economy.” Once a big-league strategy consultant, he now has a firm that advises CEOs on how to increase the value of their companies. “They’ve decided that we’ve touched bottom, or they wouldn’t be talking to me,” he said. “They’re starting to think about growing their businesses again.” Welcome news, but not what followed.