Play up the "soft stuff" – the company's values and culture.

Don't focus too much on the numbers. "Numbers aren't the vision; numbers are the products." Focus more on the softer values of building a team, sharing ideas, exciting others.

   25 Lessons from Jack Welch GE (case study) Shared Values Corporate Culture Corporate Vision, Mission, Goals Make Everybody a Team PLayer Intellectual Cross-pollination Inspiring People 25 Lessons from Jack Welch: PUT VALUES FIRST Shared Values Corporate Culture Shared Values Make Everybody a Team Player Organization Shared Values example: GE Jack Welch, Put Values First

  

  

 

Don't focus too much on numbers

Management is about people, not numbers. Numbers aren't the vision. In the GE's values guide there is no direct reference to the numbers part of the business. Talk numbers less. Focus more on the key behaviors and actions that will help company grow, delight customers and win new business. If you can get your people to come up with the right business values – and integrate them into their behavior – your financial record will be fine.

Let values rule

"Let it be known that values will play a vital role in hiring and promoting at your company. Support and encourage those employees who typify the most important values of the company."

  

 

 

Live values

"Walk the talk." Live up to the company values and let others around you know what's most important. It is absolutely essential for a leader to buy into the company's 'soft stuff' – value scheme and corporate culture – and be able to sell those values to everyone else.

Emphasize your company's values and culture

Urge employees to face reality; to lead, not manage; to change before it's necessary; to be boundaryless; to pursue simplicity; to be self-confident. Leaders who adhere to your corporate values should be expected to create a clear, simple, reality-based, customer-focused vision; they should be supposed to have a passion for excellence; to stimulate and relish change; to have enormous energy and energize others. Anyone at your company who adheres to these values is going to automatically help in the overall effort to produce the good numbers that you strive for.

   

 

 

Part your company with those who don't live the values of your company

Playing up the soft stuff is a key to taking your company to even greater heights in the future. For a business leader, getting numbers up or coming up with a strong, market leading product is crucial. So is knowing how to market than product. But it is absolutely essential for a leader to buy into the company's value scheme and its corporate culture, and to be able to sell those values to everyone else. Delivering the numbers is simply not enough. Business leaders who bring home the numbers but fall short in living up to the company's values and walking their talk should be removed to support your corporate values.