Execution and details

"Contrary to popular opinion, I think success is not based on concept,'' says Brad Saltz, former chief financial officer for Houston's, a chain of 45 restaurants once based in Phoenix that posted $200 million in annual revenues. "It's based on execution - on carrying through with the highest standards and paying attention to details.''

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Then they lose

Kelin Gersick, senior partner of Lansberg, Gersick & Associates, a New Haven, Conn., consulting and research firm, finds a common reason why many companies fail: “they do not transfer to the future. The seniors don't make strategic or financial investments to remain competitive. They lose the edge. They lose market share. They lose profits. Then they lose - period.''

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Leadership for the Ages

One curse of large organizations is that everyone tends to feel like a subordinate, David P. Hanna says in Leadership for the Ages (Executive Excellence): "As soon as we begin to think I'm not in charge, we tend to act out of compliance rather than using our best judgment and doing our best in all situations," he says. "We stop thinking about the purpose of our work, being content to merely do our job."
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Nonprofits

What can private companies learn from nonprofits? Plenty, says Frances Hesselbein, former chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts. Have an effective board of directors, create a mission to mobilize employees and remember that workers want success and crave significance.
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Dr. Seuss

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
Dr. Seuss
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People

People join companies - but they leave managers and supervisors.
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Building a Business the Buddhist Way

Building a Business the Buddhist Way by Geri Larkin (Celestial Arts; $12.95): "Ask your existing or potential customers who your competitors are and what they like and don't like about them. If your competitors are other companies, go to trade shows to scope them out. Get industry newsletters. Order something from them."
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