Across three decades at the feet of great teachers, here’s what I’ve learned - what I’ve come to admire in clients & colleagues, and aspire to personally:Mindset: As leaders, we set the clock speed: I have an obligation to ask more (and faster) of the team than anyone thinks possible. Growth is good for investors, sure, but vital for staff and customers. Talent makes organizations better, and vice-versa. Always think like the small café owner – if my rent and kids’ education came entirely from the cafe’s profits, what would I do differently to hustle for business and manage my costs? Demand matters more than supply. Have neurotic curiosity about the business. Be fast AND right. Make peace with the permanent discomfort of our ever-matrixed organizations. No sunk costs. Embrace change and ambiguity; the pace of change will never be as slow as it is today. Finally, productivity increases are a fact of life. Our mindset and values are our immune system. Methods: Be an informed skeptic – leaven big data with big judgment. Work at the coalface of the issue. Invest across multiple timelines: marigolds flower in seven days; olive trees take seven years to bear fruit. Reflection drives learning and improvement. Reduce client effort. Act with zero defects behavior at all times. Make the sure bets - don’t try to be fast, do the things that make you fast. Like a business Marie Kondo, be fanatical about establishing, communicating and adhering to priorities. Communication – townhalls, AMAs, emails – provoke dialogue through obvious WiiFM and memorable storytelling. I don’t get to 100% application 100% of the time. But I aspire to.