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In honor of May 4, a sacred day among Star Wars fans (because George Lucas released all of the Star War movies on May 4th), I’m blogging about my Rule #1: Do or do not. There is no try.

Clearly, I did not make up this rule. It’s Yoda’s rule. But it’s a damn good rule, especially in business.

Here’s what I know: Clients don’t come to us so we can TRY to develop the complicated web application they need. They need us to do it. And they need to know that we will be successful and the end result will be close to what they envisioned.

I learned a long time ago that when assigning tasks that must get done, I don’t ask staff if they can do it. I provide background, then ask what they need to get the project done, what obstacles are in their way, and how I can support them. And when I get, “I’ll try,” I remind them that “I’ll try” is not a commitment and it’s not a promise, it’s a half-hearted “maybe” or a definite “no.”

Now, if we’re brainstorming, assessing options or exploring whether or not we can accomplish something, then I ask if we (Matrix Group) can do it. And it’s perfectly legit to say, “I’ll try.”

So what happens if someone (me included) doesn’t know exactly how to get the required task accomplished and can’t quite commit to it just yet? In that case, I ask people to give me a plan that details what they are going to do so they will know and can commit to a timeline and budget.

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda lifts Luke’s starfighter from the swamp. An incredulous Luke says, “I don’t believe it.” To which Yoda retorts, “that is why you fail.” Like Yoda, my best developers, front-end developers, designers, admins, project managers (yada, yada) believe they can accomplish ridiculously hard tasks under ridiculous deadlines. That is why they succeed.

We called Boombah to complain that we ordered shirts with a sublimation process, which, incidentally, is what our e-mail receipt says. The Boombah sales rep said something to the effect of “the sublimation process is only available for the white and gray shirts. Our receipts say sublimation as part of the template, but it’s wrong. Our website is very clear that you can’t get sublimation with the black shirts.” (Don’t get me started on what happened when I asked to speak with a manager or the owner. It was not good.)

Okay, forget that the invoice says sublimation. Boombah violated what I affectionately refer to as JP Rule #3: Never let your client make a mistake. In my mind, if we had called asking for black shirts with logos, the rep should have made sure we were crystal clear on the concept that sublimation, which is the nicer printing method, is NOT available for black shirts. Knowing that fusion on black makes for a crappy shirt, the rep should have at least tried to prevent us from making that mistake. Yes, we ultimately placed the order and we take responsibility. We paid for the shirts and promptly ordered a batch from another company.

Whether it’s shirts or websites, clients rely on their service providers for expertise and recommendations. It’s up to us to educate our clients, make sure they understand the options, make recommendations, and warn them if we think they’re about to make a mistake. Yes, clients ultimately need to make their own decisions and they are big boys and girls, but if we hold technical knowledge they don’t, shouldn’t we at least make sure they are aware of the impact of their choices?

Case in point. A new client was implementing MatrixMaxx, our association management software. Our main contact told us that the association didn’t need any company demographics as part of the setup. We questioned this decision several times and he maintained that no, the organization did not need to collect company data outside of contact information. Knowing this is wrong and a waste of an opportunity to gather member data, we took the issue to the VP. Without making it seem like we were going over the manager’s head, we let the VP know that we thought the organization could benefit from collecting additional data as part of the member profile and membership application. We even suggested a package of fields. Sure enough, the VP, who has a bigger picture view, agreed on the demographics. We *could* have dropped the issue after confirming with the manager. We would have had tons of documentation showing that the client rejected the additional fields so that if the client came back to us a year later, we’d be perfectly justified in charging extra money for a change order. But that behavior would have violated Rule #3.

We try to live Rule #3 and we don’t always succeed. There isn’t always clarity about what’s absolutely right and what’s absolutely wrong. We don’t always realize a decision will be the wrong one in the long run. And clients don’t always agree with us. BUT, I believe that we have an obligation to our clients to at least give it the old college try and help them not make mistakes.

How about you? Got any stories of a vendor who let you make a mistake or saved you from making a bad decision?

P.S. I have a total of 23 rules. I’ll try to blog about them all in the future. If you’d like a copy of the list, let me know.

It was during this conference that I heard Kathy Korman Frey,  Chief Hot Mamma of the Hot Mammas Project, talk about the Sisterhood of Success and how every successful business person needs a Party of five that she can turn to for advice and support.

The Hot Mammas Project is creating a giant library of case studies and role models for girls and women.  When not running the Hot Mammas Project, Kathy is also a professor at the George Washington University School of Business.  Here’s what she had to say about the Sisterhood of Success:

• There are two things that most affect a woman’s success in business:  family life and access to mentors.
• In business and as a formula for success, everyone needs 5 people they can turn to for advice, support, problem-solving, coaching, and networking.
• If you have your Party of 5, you are more likely to be paid more, have higher status at your company and in life, and have higher levels of self-confidence.
• You will not be as successful unless you have your Party of 5.  Period. End of story.

While Kathy directed her message to the woman solo-preneurs and business owners in attendance at the conference, her advice applies to anyone who wants to be successful, get ahead, do great things.  Kathy’s Party of 5 message makes a lot of sense and rings true even in our personal lives.  Her research shows that people who have 5 or more friends are happier and have higher feelings of success.

I have certainly benefited from my Party of 5, whose members have been, at various times, key clients, Advisory Board members, my CEO coach and fellow CEOs.  I’m especially grateful to the members of my Vistage group and EAG (Executive Alliance Group), who share their business advice and give me a reality check at least once a month.  Two years ago, my good friend Chet told me to hoard cash because this recession was going to be bad.  I did and as a result, Matrix Group has weathered this recession in strong financial health.  My CEO buddy David shared his company dashboard with me, which inspired me to develop my own dashboard, which now guides planning, budgeting and resource management at Matrix Group.

As someone who has benefited from strong and effective mentors, I also feel an obligation to serve as a Party of 5 member to others looking for their own success.  I’m currently mentoring a couple of people at my company, and several entrepreneurs whose work I admire and trust.  Not surprsingly, I am learning just as much from being a mentor as I have learned from being a mentee and colleague.

How about you?  Do you have your Party of 5?  And what are YOU doing to be a member of someone else’s Party of 5?

I got an iPad last week and I’m already in love with it.

I find it fascinating that Apple has managed to capture the zeitgeist of our age and intuit our desires for computers and devices.  And yet, in a review of the iPad, Time Magazine reveals that, “(o)ne of the things that makes Apple unique is that it never holds focus groups. It doesn’t ask people what they want; it tells them what they’re going to want next.” 

So how does Apple know what customers will want?  And what lessons can mere mortal companies learn from Apple’s product development process?

A few years ago, the MatrixMaxx team at Matrix Group was developing the product road map for the coming year.  A couple of us were arguing for a total redo of the system’s user interface.  We also advocated a lot of new reports that basically repackaged data already available through exports.  The rest of the team argued that clients weren’t asking for these enhancements and it would be risky and a lot of time for little benefit to move forward with such a radical overhaul of our association management software.

After a lot of bargaining re: scope and timeline, the entire MatrixMaxx team agreed to a redesign of the system’s user interface and a new export/report framework.  The effort ended up  behind schedule and it introduced a lot of bugs into the system.  And yet, when the dust finally settled and we got the bugs under control, the end result was fabulous and clients loved it.  The new interface makes it much easier to find information and gave the product a new vibrancy.  The export framework has been universally applauded by clients.

In the end, we learned that sometimes, despite all the customer interviews that we conduct, clients can’t tell us what they want because they can’t even imagine it.  It’s up to us, the product developers, to learn as much as we can about our clients’ needs and wants and literally make stuff up.  Don’t get me wrong, once we make a decision to move in a certain direction, we get client feedback and buy-in, but it isn’t always client requests that drive the major decisions.

Today, some releases are dominated by client-requested enhancements, while others are packed with features that we have determined in-house will be fundamentally good for the product.  Some staff-sponsored features are a hit, while others turn out to be duds.  It’s the risk we take, it’s the risk we must take.

How about you?  What’s your take on Apple’s iPad strategy?  Do you have yours yet?  Or is the iPad a gadget you’ve decided you can live without?

For my son’s Spring Break, my family spent a week in San Francisco and we flew round trip on Virgin America.  After two flights, I am a total fan, so much so that I told my husband that from now on, whenever possible, we will fly Virgin.

Just what makes the Virgin America user experience so different?

Virgin America doesn’t use different or larger planes.  The airfare was comparable to other airlines when I was booking on Orbitz.  We had to pay $20 to check our bags.  The legroom on the plane wasn’t more than on other planes I’ve flown recently.  The food and alcohol weren’t free.  And I didn’t get a blanket or pillow.

What made Virgin America different was the entertainment and how food and beverage were dispensed.

• The beverage carts only  made one pass through the plane.  But for the rest of the 5+ hour flight, if we wanted food or drink, we used our touch screens to place an order.  If I wanted water, I touched water and a flight attendant came by within minutes with a bottle of water – for free.  When my son wanted cookies, chocolate or a sandwich, I swiped my credit card, and the flight attendant came by with his order.  So for the entire flight, instead of just the couple of times the carts come around, we had access to food and beverages.
• There was Wi-Fi on the plan! For about $8, I could get wi-fi and check e-mail and surf the Web!  Unbelievable!  And each seat had regular AC power so I could keep my laptop plugged in during the whole flight!
• I loved the free Dish Network. No kidding, I caught an NCIS marathon the way to SF and a House marathon on the way back.  Truly decadent!
• There were also first run movies for rent and an awesome library of songs. I was able to make my own playlist of songs and listen to some great music!
• Perhaps most important, my son enjoyed music and shows appropriate just for kids.  He listened to Schoolhouse Rock, played games and watched videos for hours!  Hours!  While mommy and daddy enjoyed their own shows!  Priceless!
• And did I mention the purple mood lighting in the main cabin?

So here’s what struck me about the Virgin America experience.  Virgin didn’t try to change all aspects of the flying experience.  They focused on changing just one thing — entertainment — and ended up transforming the whole user experience. They also managed to get me to spend a whole lot more money, willingly and happily, than I have ever spent during a flight.

How about you?  What one thing can you change about your customer’s user experience that could radically transform your company and catapult you ahead of the competition?

I have a rule when it comes to food: you have to try it before you render judgment.

I had purchased Rock Band for the PS3 a few months ago after borrowing the game from a friend and falling in love with it.  Even though I know I’m not good at it, I love to sing, so my natural inclination was to sing.  For weeks, I would practice singing and even taught CJ to sing a couple of songs (Eye of the Tiger and Tempted).  One day, CJ said, “Mama, you should try drums.”  My immediate reaction was, “No, thanks, I like to sing.” Then CJ said, “Mama, just try it!”

And that’s when I realized I was operating in my comfort zone. I’d never contemplated playing drums in my life, much less on Rock Band.  But, wanting to set a good example for my son, I gave it a shot.  Guess what?  I’m terrible at it, but I love it.  I love it so much that I want to get better and now I want to try my hand at guitar.  Imagine that.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.  I’m driving back from a weekend trip with my son, with my husband Maki in a separate car.  Maki recently got his ham radio license; he’s actually passed all three tests.  He gave me and CJ a radio and promised he’d try to transmit messages to us from his car.  Since I don’t have my license, I could not transmit back.  CJ said, “Mama, I want to get my license so I can talk to daddy.  You should get your license, too.”  Again, my immediate reaction was “No, thanks, I have enough to do in my life without studying for a ham radio test!”

But over the next week, I got to thinking.  Why not step out of my comfort zone and go for it? How cool would it be for me to pass the test and be able to actually broadcast?  It might be kind of cool to learn about amateur radio stations, transponder signals and amperes.  And what a great message to send to my son!  So, this past weekend, I asked Maki to pull out the flash cards.  I’ve mastered 1/4 of the questions and hope to take the test in November.  Wish me luck.

How about you?  Have you stepped out of your comfort zone lately?  What have you always wanted to do or try and just need the excuse to do so?  C’mon, if I can study for the ham radio test, you can do something out of the ordinary as well!

• Except for a few direct reports, I don’t invite staff to be my friend or get linked up. I imagine that some staff would view an invitation from me as wanting to know too much about them; at the very least, it could be awkward if they don’t want to get linked up and they have to turn down a request from their boss.
• I do accept invitations from staff to be my friend or get linked up. If they’re staff, they’re part of my extended family.
• I don’t accept an invitation to get connected unless I actually know the person. Even on LinkedIn.  Random strangers are NOT going to get access to my network just because they want to link to me.
• I do ask staff to follow this blog because I’m communicating with their clients through the blog and it’s always good for staff to know what the boss is broadcasting. :-)
• I do ask staff to follow or fan the company’s pages on the social networking platforms.  I’m not asking for them to friend me, but I am asking them to support our social networking efforts.
• I am never too casual in my updates. The updates are never too personal and I don’t use SMS speak, e.g., R U there? or Off 2 dinner.  I will use abbreviations like LOL (laughing out loud) or IMHO (in my humble opinion).
• In general, I will follow people on Twitter who follow me (as well as a lot of other people I just find interesting), unless their profile photo shows too much skin, the tweets are too racy or adult, or the account has lots followers but no tweets.
• I only post photos of me, my family, my friends, my staff and my clients where they look good.  Why would I want people I care about to look bad?  And if someone ever asks me to untag or remove a photo, I do it.
• I never, ever post a status update that I will regret later. Even if my Facebook profile is mostly private, I figure someone, somewhere has access to my posts and there will be a security breach that undoes all privacy settings.  The other accounts are all public and I assume anything I post will be part of Google’s index forever.

How about you?  What are the social networking etiquette rule that you live by?  Any lessons learned?

Then it hit me: the company had gone through a fairly large downsizing recently.  The corporate culture was one I was more likely to find in a much larger organization because the culture had not adjusted to the new realities of the smaller organization!  Ick.

Then I realized the opposite can happen as well.  As an organization grows, the culture, communication channels and corporate underground may be more appropriate for a small company, not the realities of a larger one. In fact, it’s happened at Matrix Group, although we’re certainly not large (under 50 staff) and our growth has been slow and steady.  I used to rely on word of mouth to communicate with staff about all kinds of things.  I would chat with a few folks, who would pass along the news.  I would also hold “town meetings” and invite anyone who was available.  Turns out that when we hit the magic 40-staff number, my informal communications style didn’t work as well anymore.  I now have to over-communicate, send out lots of all staff e-mails, direct the Directors and Project Managers to reiterate news and decisions, and hold multiple meetings to get feedback.  Guess what?  I still get complaints every now and then from staff who feel they weren’t consulted or didn’t know a specific decision was made.

I’ve realized something really important as well.  The corporate underground and communications channels always lag behind and must be coaxed and directed to meet the needs and realities of the current organization. And just because I say I have an open door policy doesn’t mean people believe me (even though it’s true!)  So these days, my communications mantras include:

• Assume imperfect communication between staff.
• Send out regular e-mails about the most important things even when I think everyone already has the information.
• Use staff meetings as a means for disseminating news, decisions, policies, new technologies, cool projects.
• Rely on the Directors and Project Managers to reinforce the communications.
• Post as much information as possible to the intranet.
• Solicit feedback directly, especially from people I’m not hearing from.

How about you?  How is your company’s underground working?  Does it fit the size and needs of your current organization?

At first blush, it just doesn’t make any sense:  organizations expend time and effort needed to put out an RFP (request for proposal), participate in meetings and demos, review proposals, check references, yada, yada — and then sit and don’t make a decision. 

So why doesn’t the CEO just make the decision? After many years of selling to organizations of all sizes, in all industries, here’s why I think  CEOs don’t/won’t make a decision their staff is dying for them to make.

The initiative doesn’t have support from the top. Sometimes, the initiative to redesign a Web site or put in a new back office has a lot of middle management support, but not top support.  Middle management has the okay to research and evaluate but no commitment from the top that resources will ultimately be made available.  So if you’re asking your boss if it’s okay to research new phone systems, you need to know that your boss believes a new phone system is needed, has money in the budget and will make a decision.  Otherwise, he’s just humoring you when he blesses the research effort.

The CEO doesn’t think he needs to make the decision right now. This is a tricky one.  Your CEO might believe with all her heart that you need a new membership database, but she isn’t convinced that the issue is urgent, which means she can delay a decision.  You need to make the case that a decision is urgent and necessary.  Prepare a cost-benefit analysis, point to pain points, and illuminate the work arounds you’re living with.

The budget can’t support the investment. In some organizations, budgets are super secret and the CEO can’t/won’t tell you that the budget can’t really support new servers this year.  If you can’t get a hard number, at least ask for a range.

The CEO is still shopping the solution and budget. Often, CEOs will use the RFP process to conduct research about what’s out there, to get an idea of what she should put in the budget, etc.  If this is the case in your organization, it’s best to know that a decision may be far off and use the RFP process to educate your CEO and team.

The CEO is looking for outside validation. It happens all the time: the CEO wants to make sure the solution proposed by staff is sound, so they bring in a consultant.  If your CEO never trusts staff recommendations, you have trouble.  But it’s also legitimate for a CEO to want third party validation of a solution to cover his bases or because the organization’s governance requires it.  Remember that at some point, the Board will ask the CEO why the heck xx decision was made; he’s going to need talking points he can rely on.

So if your CEO is sitting on an important decision, ask yourself what you can do to make a decision urgent, necessary and defensible.

How about you?  How do you get your boss to make a decision?  What tactics have worked best?

When you “follow” someone, you:

• Accept them as a guide or leader
• Imitate or follow their example
• Watch their movement or progress

While I understand that my “followers” on Twitter probably don’t see me as a leader, there are certainly people on Twitter who I “follow” because I consider them thought leaders and I want to know what they’re reading and thinking. Think about it.  We never say that we “follow” a Web site, company or newsletter, but we do say that we “follow” someone’s blog.  I know I consider it a high compliment when someone tells me that they “follow” my blog.

In the book Tribes, marketing guru Seth Godin tells us it’s human nature to want to be part of a group that shares a common passion and recognizes the same leader; in other words, most of us want to be part of a tribe.  Further, Seth believes that using the Web and social networking tools, everyone can now find or assemble a tribe and lead it.

So I say to each of you and your organizations:  People want to follow, are you ready to lead?

1. Your Browser as the New Operating System. The Web browser is increasingly the platform for mission critical applications, like association management systems, intranets, document management systems and e-mail.
2. Conversation is King. We used to talk about creating a communications strategy.  Today, we need to create a conversation strategy because customers are interested in engagement, in two-way conversations.
3. Unified, Integrated Data. I call this the Amazon Effect.  Our customers expect us to know who they are, communicate with them in a personalized way, and give them personalized offerings.  We can’t do this unless we have a unified view of their activities and interactions.
4. Zen Tech Warrior. These warriors want information on specific topics, when they want it, on the device(s) of their choice.  Take me, for example.  I might want my magazine in print, news via e-mail, and alerts via text.  Can your database handle these preferences and can you execute on this information?
5. Green Computing. We all know that we need to do our part to reduce energy consumption and save the planet.  Data centers represent 1.5% of the electricity demand in the US.  Think green when you buy computers and peripherals.

Since my session was an Idealab, I got terrific comments and questions from my audience.  The liveliest discussion centered around creating a communications strategy because it intersects with the need to create a social networking strategy.  My top tips here?

• Monitor what is being said through Google Alerts and Twitter searches (that you can RSS).
• Create a social networking response team.
• Have a blogging strategy.  Even if your organization does not host a blog, what should you do when your organization is mentioned negatively in a blog?

Here’s a link to the handout from my session.  What about you?  What big trends are coming your way and how you are dealing with them?

Max days that it doesn’t matter what business you think you’re in, what matters is what business your prospects and clients think you’re in.  So I got to thinking.  I say that the Matrix Group’s mission is to use the latest Web technologies to help our clients “be better.” When I pitch clients and prospects, I sell them a solution and an outcome.  I want clients to tell us their goals and then we’ll work collaboratively with them to figure out what mix of products and services will let them achieve those goals in the fastest and least expensive way.

But what would my top 10 clients say if I asked them what Matrix Group does? I hope that on a good day, my best clients would say that we helped them:  reach more members, sell more products, run a better organization, educate more people about their issues, save time, save money, yada, yada.  But I bet a bunch would say that we are a Web design shop, some would say we’re a Web development firm, and still others probably see us a membership database company.  Is this is the brand identity that I want?  No, so what can I do about it?

Max says:

• Understand that branding is about the brand name AND brand identity. Brand identity is what’s connoted when they hear your brand name. It’s the business that your prospects and clients think you’re in.
• Communicate our brand with a common language that everyone in the organization uses. Apparently, most companies do a poor job at communicating their businesses because they have a poor message, staff don’t know what the message is, and everyone in the company describes it differently.
• Live the brand. Through our behavior, we need to live our brand values.  If we are focused on outcomes, then we need to lead with goals and have an effective way of measuring the outcome of our efforts.

How about you?  Are you actually in the business you think you’re in?

• Give List lists ways to support communities and causes this holiday season (and year-round for that matter) that don’t necessarily require writing a check.  Ideas include:  donating frequent fliers to soldiers so they can fly home and visit their families; send a note to someone who works for a non-profit and thank them for their work; and create a video about an organization or cause that is important to you and post it on YouTube.
• Volunteer to be on a Board of committee of a local non-profit.  Organizations all over the country are experiencing a dearth of people willing to donate their time and expertise.  Several years ago, I called the Executive Director of a non-profit that I admire (Doorways for Women and Families) and asked how I could become involved.  Today, I serve on the Board and help organize two fundraising events.  I have helped raise a bunch of money, but I have also learned a great deal about non-profit management and fundraising, experiences that have benefited me at work.
• Philanthropy.com put together a list of ways to support social causes without giving money.
• The Daily Green lists 20 ways to give without giving “stuff”

I have a 4-year old so I have to admit that this Christmas, I am giving him a bunch of “stuff.”  Yes, there are a lot of Thomas trains under our tree.  The magic of this season, however, is that my entire family is together.  And this year, I’m hosting the Christmas Eve dinner for the first time ever!

Happy Holidays to you all!  I hope that your holiday is safe, warm, happy and full of family and friends.  Oh yeah, I hope you get that one thing you want most.  Now back to my cooking and baking.

Here’s why I think your CEO needs to be part of your next Web project.

The CEO can best articulate why your organization needs to exist. Earlier this year, we were kicking off a project with a professional society in the military space. The Executive Director was discussing the mission and goals of the organization when he said “our members protect the world’s waterways.” A few seconds later, a staff member said, “I’ve been working here for several years and I’ve been waiting for that explanation of why we exist and what our members do.”

The CEO often has the most nuanced understanding of target audiences. Last year, while working on a redesign for a foundation, we got amazing insight from the President. He perfectly articulated that the foundation’s main audiences are corporate, foundation and high net worth individual donors, BUT, in meeting the needs of these donors, the organization will meet the needs of the general public at the same time. The discussion allowed us to focus on the top users, create use cases to test our work against, and make the project a success.

CEO involvement makes a project important. Let’s face it. If your boss or your boss’s boss is attending a meeting, you want to be there because it’s probably really important and you want to know what’s going on.

CEO involvement means a project is more likely to get funded. Again, let’s be candid. If your CEO is interested in a project, it will be easier to get your budget approved, and you can often tap into those secret CEO slush funds that never seem to exist when your “other” projects are up for review.

The larger the organization, the more challenging it is to get CEO involvement, so any appropriate VP or C-level involvement will work. The key is to have the insight, guidance and perspective of someone who is very close to the organization’s mission and customers.

Why is why, in addition to interviewing well and having great writing/coding samples, candidates for positions at Matrix Group must have great references. Paradoxically, we’re less inclined to hire a person with a perfect track record and perfect references, you know, the person who has never missed a deadline, never gone over budget, and never had a project go south. Why?

Because top talent has experienced some serious screw ups and they have recovered, and they have seen the impact of poorly managed or poorly engineered projects.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to hear about one screw up after another, but I do want candidates to tell me what they have learned from their mistakes and those of others, and how their experiences will help them avoid FUBARs in the future.

I was captivated by Peter’s stories about Porsche’s turnaround during the early 80s. He
talked about the 24 hour Le Mans race that began the company’s turnaround. Porsche was not expected to win; the company was broke and did not have a new car to showcase. Peter told his staff, “We shall never enter a race we don’t intend to win.” And with that edict, the company rallied and ultimately won the race.

Peter’s message: As CEO or President of an organization, you need to be the Leader, and here’s what it takes to be one:

• To get ahead, use leadership to get extraordinary results from ordinary people
• As CEO, you have the organization you deserve. You hired the people, you trained them, you set the expectations. If you don’t like your organization, change it
• If you don’t want to be in a commodity business, you need to Innovate. But you can’t afford to be innovative if you do not have the ability to keep score and make gentle corrections along the way
• As CEOs, we must:
  • formulate plans that are timely and have quality
  • and having completed a plan, we must implement that plan
• A really great plan, implemented well, has the potential to change your company. But many of the people in your organization, on whom you are counting to implement the plan, may not be able to visualize the plan. It is up to the CEO to communicate the grand plan
• When you achieve something unique, price it properly; do not give away the store
• Plan like a democracy, implement like a dictatorship

Many of these words of wisdom, for all Leaders out there, I’m sure you’ve heard or read before. But how many, have you actually put into practice? Are you doing all that it takes to be the leader of the organization you dream of?