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I recommend living by this simple rule: Make very few promises to your people, and keep them all.

…promise what no others can: the opportunity to do irreplaceable work on a unique problem alongside great people.

Figuring out how to catch those early stirrings of promise is a marvelous, maddening obsession for any organization that wants to win in the talent hunt.

The great unexpected discoveries happen only if assessors are willing to suspend their skepticism at first, so that the underdogs get a chance to show a spark of promise.

…trying something creative rather than punitive may be the most promising path – no matter how much the perpetrators may deserve to be punished and sent packing.

…research shows that consumers are demanding much more from their brands: a logo, a reason why, an emotional promise, a cultural belief – all these may no longer be enough.

A new layout with old culture can deliver the worst of both worlds: countless managers… producing a noisier, more distracting environment that is neither efficient nor effective.

Until you fully understand this commitment, promises that run deep and are often unspoken and unrecognized, it’s hard to shift that allegiance.

…most companies are far too slow to adopt promising platforms, trapped by legacy planning, budgeting, and organizational norms. By the time they are ready to act, evanescent early advantages are long gone.

Change is frightening, and to many people who would be leaders, it seems more of a threat than a promise.