We depend on you to do the right thing; right for both you and the company. It is no exaggeration to say that IBM's reputation is in your hands.

Good people need room to develop. They have to find their own voice . . . each IBMer is a businessperson working within the framework of the company structure.

At IBM everybody sells! Every employee has been trained to think that the customer comes first - everybody from the CEO, to the people in finance, to the receptionists, to those who work in manufacturing.

The ultimate compliment a customer can make to an organization about one of its marketing people is: "I'm not sure whether your sales rep works for me or for you."

You can't talk about leadership without talking about responsibility and accountability...you can't separate the two. A leader must delegate responsibility and provide the freedom to make decisions, and then be held accountable for the results.

First, there is the law. It must be obeyed. But the law is the minimum. You must act ethically.

Don't make misrepresentations to anyone you deal with. If you believe the other person may have misunderstood you, correct any misunderstanding you find exists. Honesty is integral to ethical behavior, and trustworthiness is essential for good, lasting relationships.