Verne Harnish summarized a recent presentation by Jim Collins, who is one of the great authors of our time.  Collins wrote "Good to Great" and recently released another awesome book "Made to Last".  When he speaks, I listen, and his words are almost always sound advise for a growing business.

Here is the summary of what Collins shared.  You may need to read his books, or at least a summary of them, to understand the terminology used.

Jim Collins' Top 10 List -- Jim led a highly insightful 3 hour opening session at last week's Fortune Leadership Summit in Atlanta.  He capped it off with a top 10 list for growth firms:

1. Change "what" questions to "who" questions     
2. Double your question to statement ratio
3. Embrace the "Stockdale Paradox" - keep getting up when knocked down
4. Discover your personal "hedgehog" - what are you both passionate about and best at
5. Be clear your Core Values, Purpose, and BHAG
6. Establish a 20 Mile March
7. Create a "Stop Doing" list
8. Turn-off electronic gadgets one day every two weeks
9. Focus on getting a huge return on your next "luck event."     
10. Strive to be useful (would the world miss you if you/your company was gone?)

I might suggest a couple other things for you to consider:

• Answer the question "why" - people today want meaning and understanding of their work
• Set aside time to strategize and dream - some solitude time
• Make sure you have your 4 plans completed - legacy, life, leadership and business
• Use a Start, Stop, Change question format to evaluate what you are doing - ask others to assess.
• Remember that everything that matters revolves around people and relationships!

Lots to go do here.  Remember that Vision without Execution is Hallucination!