8 Skills of People Who Perform

From Fast Company magazine, an excerpt from the book Know-How by Ram Charan:

1. Position Yourself: Build a foundation for your business by homing in on customer needs

My take: My CPA offered me this simple advice when asked how to start a business. "Get a customer", he said. We all have great ideas and may some day try to turn them into a career. The bottom line is meeting the needs of your customers. If they need something, you provide it. If you can't do it directly, find help. Take care of your customers.

2. Find Patterns: Pinpoint emerging patterns of change that may effect your business

My take: An obvious one is the globalization of business. For the most part, these patterns are not obvious. You will not see them or feel them if you aren't in the trenches. You must put yourself out "there" to sense them.

3. Shape the Culture: Manage the societal system of your business to control how employees collaborate

4. Seek Leaders: Judge employees potential and find those who can be developed into leaders

My take: A manager's first responsibility is to his/her people. It is beyond sad when a manager doesn't look for the potential in a person and help that person reach his/her goals. Take care of your people and they will take care of your customers.

5. Create Leading Teams: Bring leaders that complement each other together to form great teams

My take: This is a pattern that I "feel" right now. Everyone is working hard to get lean and to become more competitive. The low hanging fruit can be addressed but the key is continuously improving over time. Sure, this is not a new concept but it is becoming very critical. The best way to accomplish this is to tap into the power of your employees.

6. Develop Goals: Determine what your business can become and what it can actually manage to accomplish.

My take: Start with a vision and mission. They will first be lofty. As you exercise both, be willing to make adjustments based on the needs of your customers and merging patterns.

7. Set Priorities: Use a list of priorities to find a path to achieve your goals

My take: Make sure you are working on the right things. It's easy to work on what pleases you but the right things keep you moving towards your vision and goals.

8. Deal with Public Opinion: Face the market forces and trends in society that affect the business

My take: Continuously improve yourself. Learn how to create a website. Master the use of software, etc.