The path to innovation begins with curiosity

Chronic indecision is not only inefficient and counterproductive, but it is deeply corrosive to morale.

You have to ask the questions you need to ask, admit without apology what you don't understand, and do the work to learn what you need to learn as quickly as you can.

The dynamics between a CEO and the next person in line for his or her job are often fraught, though. We all want to believe we're irreplaceable. The trick is to be self-aware enough that you don't cling to the notion that you are the only person who can do this job.

Be decent to people. Treat everyone with fairness and empathy. This doesn't mean that you lower your expectations or convey the message that mistakes don't matter. It means that you create an environment where people know you'll hear them out, that you're emotionally consistent and fair-minded, and that they'll be given chances for honest mistakes.

True integrity-- a sense of knowing who you are and being guided by your own clear sense of right and wrong--is a kind of secret leadership weapon. If you trust your own instincts and treat people with respect, the company will come to represent the values you live by.

Ask the questions you need to ask, admit without apology what you don't understand, and do the work to learn what you need to learn as quickly as you can.

Don't start negatively, and don't start small. People will often focus on little details as a way of masking a lack of any clear, coherent, big thoughts. If you start petty, you seem petty.

Sweating the details can show how much you care. "Great" is often a collection of very small things, after all. The downside of micromanagement is that it can be stultifying, and it can reinforce the feeling that you don't trust the people who work for you.