Eventually, it all comes down to people. Creating a winning team and self-sustaining culture takes hard work, and there is no substitute for it. Teams do not win because they have a new stadium or the most attractive uniforms. Some of the best teams do not even have the most talented individual athletes. Teams succeed because they are disciplined, work well together, execute consistently and have a passion to win.

Hire great people and train them well. Encourage everyone to contribute to the best of his/her ability. Treat everyone with respect – everyone counts. Encourage life-long learning and a deep curiosity.

Do it consistently – like exercising or weeding the garden

Acknowledge and reward high performers; that helps identify and develop leaders. Recognize that we gain strength from a diverse workforce – embrace our differences.

Enforce a good decision-making process and eliminate “waste of time” meetings; stand up war rooms to get the right people in the room and kill bureaucracy. Conduct regular, well-organized, and thorough business reviews of functions and controls.