Acknowledgments xvii
Foreword xix
Introduction xxv
Section I Forming a Great Company Creating a Strong Foundation 1
Chapter 1 Deciding First What Is Important The 5% Rule in Business and Life 5
Behind Every Decision 8
The Ultimate Test 10
Chapter 2 Excited Employees to Satisfied Customers to Happy Shareholders The Virtuous Spiral 13
Chapter 3 Trust Is the Ultimate Empowerment The Decisive Factor 31
Strategic Retention 37
Trust as Simplifier 39
Building Trust 40
Chapter 4 Transparency in Practice Its Not Just a Buzzword 43
As Clear as You Can Be 44
The Tie That Binds 46
Chapter 5 Hierarchy of Purpose Prioritizing Values 49
Learning Curve 51
Real-Life Practice 58
Putting It All Together 62
The HA Map in Action 63
Section II Building a Great Company Implementing the 5% Rule 67
Chapter 6 Front-Loading Negotiations Know What You Want Going In 71
Stepping In 71
A Question of Price 73
Give Them a Number 75
Asking the Right Questions 76
Trust and Transparency 77
Meet and Greet 78
The 90% 80
The Risks of Skipping the First 5% 81
Final 5% 82
Chapter 7 Why Earn-Outs Are Bad for Acquisitions Make a Clean Break 85
The Value of Predictability 88
Faking Yourself Out 89
Praying for Failure 90
Working Toward Mutual Success 91
Chapter 8 Be a Problem-Solver, Not a Solution Provider Give Them What They Need, Not What They Ask For 93
Problems Before Solutions 94
The Problem with Problems 95
A Real-Life Example 96
First Question: Why? 97
Finding a Solution 98
Chapter 9 Control the Timetable of Disruptions Choose Your Fate 105
An Industry Turned Upside Down 108
Disruption as Freedom 111
Your Early Warning System 112
A Word of Warning About Disruption: Do Not Be Too Clever 113
Thinking Backwards 115
Chapter 10 The Power of Being Different Differentiation as a Key Asset 117
A Singular Advantage 118
Being Different Inside 119
Different Differences 119
The Tiniest Differences 121
A Caveat 123
Balancing Act 123
Chapter 11 Put All Your Eggs in the Fewest Baskets Balance Risks Without Diluting Rewards 127
The Discipline of Choice 128
Lean Basketry 130
Real-Life Eggs and Baskets 131
The Unforeseen Cost 133
Long Road, Hard Wisdom 134
Timing Is Everything 136
Chapter 12 Dont Worry About Leaving Money on the Table Get What You Need, Not What You Want 139
Counting What You Do Not Have 142
Different Tables 144
Know Your Price 147
State What You Want 148
Know When to Stop 148
Chapter 13 Communication Disconnects at the Top Clarity Equals Productivity 151
Babel 152
Clarity Comes First 155
So, How Do You Solve This Problem? 156
Beyond Mean 157
Chapter 14 Primary and Secondary Skills Prepare Careers for the Future 159
Primary School 160
Double Lives 162
Making the Turn 164
The Next Dimension 166
Planning Ahead 168
Section III Maturing a Great Company Create the Next Generation of Leaders 171
Chapter 15 Retention Is Its Own Engine Preserve the Asset of Experience 175
Prodigal Employees 181
Exceptional Times 184
Chapter 16 Golden Interns and Successful Succession Retain Your Best for as Long as Possible 187
Company-Wide Succession 192
Chapter 17 Fair, Fast, and Built to Last The Keys to a Great and Enduring Company 197
5% Throughout the Organization 199
An (Unexpectedly) Universal Rule 200
Trust and The 5% Rule 201
Epilogue 205
Index 207
