Winning

"How Are You Going to Win?"

Winning matters because success leads to happy companies and "creative and generous" employees, as well as opportunities, jobs and tax revenue. In your mission statement, declare how you are going to win the corporate game. That will force your company to make tough choices about allocating resources. What's more, the process of setting a strategy eliminates a major corporate trap: the fatal attempt to be everything to everyone at every moment. A solid mission statement provides a clear road map. Corporate values are its nuts and bolts. Be concrete about acceptable behavior and ethical guidelines. The scandals at Enron and Arthur Andersen occurred when corporate values became divorced from mission statements.

"Underneath It All"

A lack of honesty – "candor" – is the largest "dirty secret" in corporate circles. This does not refer to underhanded dishonesty. It applies to people who aren't straightforward and who hold back valuable information. Dishonesty derails ideas, initiative and growth. It undermines employee reviews because people don't get real information about their work. Candor pays big benefits. Honesty expands feedback...