Competitiveness

Survival of the fittest is the dominant theme in today's world of unregulated global competition. Though the U.S. still has one of the highest levels of productivity in the world, its rate of improvement has fallen below the leading industrialized nations. In fact, foreign competition has emerged as the dominant issue facing U.S. businesses. Many American companies have become real competitors in the global marketplace, and successful innovation abounds in every kind of enterprise and in every facet of operations. The companies in the vanguard of world-class competition are not there by accident, however, implementation of innovation requires thoughtful, long-term action. To compete successfully, you must manage successfully, and successful management means leadership. Leadership traits cannot be identified by empirical studies, but by applying the guidelines for leadership of successful managers: 1. Be flexible and persistent in the pursuit of defined goals. 2. First things first every day. 3. Measure everyone's productivity, including your own! 4. Be a mobile communicator. 5. Coordinate and control. 6. Computers are the key to productivity improvement. 7. Seek out and remove obstacles to productivity. 8. Reward your producers. 9. Encourage innovation, even if you have to ruffle a few feathers. 10. Expect and accept only quality. 11. Be enthusiastic. 12. Act now! 13. Stay healthy, be happy.