My bosses cautioned me about my candor. Now my GE career is over, and I'm telling you that it was my candor that helped make it work.

Protecting underperformers always backfires.

Celebrating creates an atmosphere of recognition and positive energy. Imagine a team winning the World Series without champagne spraying everywhere. And yet companies win all the time and let it go without so much as a high five. Work is too much a part of life not to recognize moments of achievement. Make a big deal out of them. If you don't, no one will.

Managers often hold on to resisters because of a specific skill set or because they've been around for a long time. Don't.

Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence.

Some people have better ideas than others; some are smarter or more experienced or more creative. But everyone should be heard and respected.

Your goal, in other words, should be to make your bosses smarter, your team more effective, and the whole company more competitive because of your energy, creativity, and insights.

If you get the best people on your team, you've got plenty of time to do the things you like to do and can add more value to.

Every employee, not just the senior people, should know how a company is doing.