Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.

People tend to look at their businesses from the inside out - that is, they get so focused on making and selling their products that they lose awareness of the needs and buying behaviors of their customers.

If you don't have the best people you hurt everyone.

If you can't describe your strategy in twenty minutes, simply and in plain language, you haven't got a plan. 'But,' people may say, 'I've got a complex strategy. It can't be reduced to a page.' That's nonsense. That's not a complex strategy. It's a complex thought about the strategy.

I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some call high level strategy, on intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough on implementation. People would agree on a project or initiative, and then nothing would come of it.

How people talk to each other absolutely determines how well the organization will function.

Self-awareness gives you the capacity to learn from your mistakes as well as your successes. It enables you to keep growing.