Innovation and best practices can be sown throughout an organization - but only when they fall on fertile ground.

I do still get extremely nervous before speeches. My biggest fear is that I'll be standing there in front of hundreds of people and be incapable of talking. I'm afraid that I'll make a complete fool of myself and be unable to go on.

As a general rule, people tend to do best what they enjoy doing most.

If you want execution, hail only success. If you want creativity, hail risk, and remain neutral about success.

As with all catalysts, the manager's function is to speed up the reaction between two substances, thus creating the desired end product. Specifically, the manager creates performance in each employee by speeding up the reaction between the employee's talent and the company's goals, and between the employee's talent and the customer's needs.

The best way to find out whether you're on the right path? Stop looking at the path.

All the great organizations have great managers at all levels who recognize where their culture is getting stronger and where it is getting weaker. There are always reasons why.