When you see people with "the right stuff," those who choose the right over the wrong or the "iffy," let them know you're proud of them. Encourage the courageous, so they'll have the will to carry on.

Trust is the glue that holds relationships together.

Narrow life down to what's precious and necessary. In a world of complexity the best weapon is simplicity.

You carve out the organization's character through your daily choices. You shape its conscience as you exercise your own.

Live according to the ethics of excellence, and you can always stand proud. Pride - not vanity, but dignity and self-respect - should carry a lot of weight in helping you make decisions. Let pride help you decide.

We can't achieve excellence through talent alone. Or merely by making technological improvements. We can't even buy our way to excellence, no matter how much money we have available to spend. More dollars will never do it. We have to develop a strong corporate conscience. Ethical muscle. And that doesn't happen by accident either.

As tough as it sometimes looks on the front end, it's easier to do right than undo wrong.