September 2005

Few jobs in business are as exciting as that of adviser to the CEO. But those who sit at the right hand of power learn that the influence game has to be played by the rules.

How can health care professionals ensure that the quality of their service matches their knowledge and aspirations? As a number of hospitals and clinics have discovered, learning how to improve the work you do while you actually do it can deliver extraordinary savings in lives and dollars.

True competitive advantages are harder to find and maintain than people realize. The odds are best in tightly drawn markets, not big, sprawling ones.

Many skilled, accomplished executives fear that they’re not good enough—impostors who are bound to be found out. By undervaluing their talent, are they ruining their careers and companies?

Huge business opportunities are rare, and their timing is almost never under the control of an individual company. So it’s important to be ready when they come and to manage smart during the long periods of business as usual.

The executives who lead Voici Brands’ various businesses own their bottom lines. Now the CEO wants to centralize supply chain operations. The businesses may save money—but the executives will lose control. How should this battle be fought?