Mobilize your people around a singe goal. All of our → experimenting and questioning and learning is done in pursuit of one goal: finding the  next frontier of → value that we can create for our customers.  >>>

A company of self-reliant "owners" sounds great in theory, but it can be chaos if the goals aren't clear to all.

At Dell, it's worked for us because we came up with a consistent → strategy and well-articulated objectives.

• Look at → learning as a necessity, not a luxury. With business moving at such a fast pace, it doesn't take much to get behind in today's marketplace. → Today's leaders are voracious learners.

• Study the obvious for non-obvious solutions. If you're trying to → solve a customer's problem, go and ask him how he'd like to see it → solved. This type of problem-solving 'empathy' leads to → innovative thinking.  >>>

• → Make failure acceptable as long as it creates → learning opportunities. There's no risk in preserving the status quo – but there's no → profit either.  >>>

• Constantly question – even the good stuff. There's no better way to → improve. And don't try to cover up bad news or deny difficult → problems. Time is everything – the sooner you deal with an issue, the sooner it's resolved.

• → Communicate the goals of the organization to everyone. Focus the organization on the customer, not the hierarchy. Encourage your people to do the same.

• Treat all employees as owners, even if they technically aren't yet. Once they own what they do, they'll start focusing more on big-picture goals. A sense of pride, balanced with  strong dose of personal investment, works wonders to engender a greater sense of accountability... More