Surviving a failure gives you more self-confidence. Failures are great learning tools - but they must be kept to a minimum.

Enron and 9/11 marked the end of an era of individual freedom and the beginning of personal responsibility.

If the only common thread you have as an industrial company is the fact that you think you're well managed, you can still be a pretty good company, but you're not going to be a dominant company, a competitive company over time.

Values can't just be words on a page. To be effective, they must shape action.

Every leader needs to clearly explain the top three things the organization is working on. If you can't, you are not leading well.

You can't delegate growth or customer satisfaction.

I love working with customers. Sales has really influenced everything I do. It has instilled in me the important traits of operating with a sense of urgency and listening to people.