You read a book from beginning to end. You run a business the opposite way. You start with the end, and then you do everything you must to reach it. The worst disease which can afflict executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism. The best way to inspire people to superior performance is to convince them by everything you do and by your everyday attitude that you are wholeheartedly supporting them. Performance stands out like a ton of diamonds. Non performance can always be explained away. It is much more difficult to measure non performance than performance. It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality. Do you want my one-word secret of happiness? It's growth - mental, financial, you name it. We must not be hampered by yesterday's myths in concentrating on today's needs. Performance is your reality. Forget everything else. Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. |