Mavericks at Work By William C. Taylor, Polly G. Labarre

Rethink Competition

1. Do you have a distinctive and disruptive sense of purpose that sets you apart from your rivals?
2. Do you have a vocabulary of competition that is unique to your industry and compelling to your employees and customers?
3. Are you prepared to reject opportunities that offer short-term benefits but distract your organization from its long-term mission?
4. Can you be proactive without provoking a backlash?
5. If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would really miss you and why?

Reinventing Innovation

1. Keep the focus narrow and tightly defined.
2. Keep broadening the range of participants.
3. Keep it fun.
4. Don’t keep all the benefits to yourself.
5. Keep challenging yourself to be more open to new ideas and new ways of leading.

Reconnecting with Customers

1. There’s always a demand for something distinctive.
2. Not all customers are created equal.
3. Brand is culture, culture is brand.
4. Advertising to customers is not the same as connecting with customers.
5. When is comes to creating brand value, dollars-and-cents thinking doesn’t always make sense.

Redesigning Work

1. Why should great people join your organization?
2. Do you know a great person when you see one?
3. Can you find great people who aren’t looking for you?
4. Are you great at teaching great people how your organization works and wins?
5. Does your organization work as distinctively as it competes?