I have built a very successful career around fundamental principles and common sense.  Since they're the framework for every decision I make, I'd like to share them with you:

Business and personal integrity are non-negotiable.

There is seldom grey area in decision making.  In all things, actions are either right or wrong and doing wrong is not an option.  I have always expected this of myself.  But I also expect this of my company and fellow employees.

The importance of professionalism.

Everything the customer sees must exude professionalism. The website, training materials, marketing materials, correspondence and above all, the company's products - all must show the customer they are dealing with an uncompromising, professional company that values their business and will do whatever is necessary to earn their trust.

I don't own rose colored glasses.

As every good leader should do, I look for reasons why things can fail.  I have found that if you simply don't make mistakes, it's easy to become successful.  I plan for the unexpected.  In this headline-driven economy, contingencies are necessary to prevent failure from events that are beyond your control.

It's the vision thing.

It's one thing to have ideas.  It's quite another to take ideas, narrow the focus, develop a strategic plan of action, sell the plan to the stakeholders and employees and then execute the plan.  It is a lack of vision that causes most companies to fail.  As a renaissance man, my vision is defined by my broad range of experiences coupled with a large amount of common sense.

No more silos. We'll either succeed as a team or fail as individuals.

The competition, not another department, is the enemy.  Silos are not allowed.  Barriers between departments cannot exist and anyone that can't understand or buy into this doesn't belong in the company.

Focus on the customer!

Fifty percent of all sales typically come from existing customers.  A satisfied customer is an easy sale if their last purchase was a positive experience.  This means that it must have performed as advertised, installed within reasonable expectations, was well-supported and provided a compelling ROI.

Without fun, there's seldom hard work.

Employees must look forward to coming to work.  Everyone is willing to work hard and even go beyond expectations if they associate work with a certain degree of fun.  Management must believe in this and look for opportunities to keep the workplace fun.