What is it that defines performance? What do peak performers do differently to create outcomes that define their industry?

Strategy and Success Matters. Believing there is room for you at the top requires some steady awareness of what it takes to solve the specific problems of your customer most effectively, the first time, with least cost and best value. Who your customer is matters less than how you prepare to collaborate with them, relate to their neeeds, and solve their problems.

Many High Performance Professionals are really much more interested in the results than stopping to explain the story.. For them it would seem their leadership was tied to their responsibilitity for creating the solutions that sell the business image. Image exists whether in IT, Marketing, Project Management or C Level Executive.

This must be an important theme for me this month, as high performance skills, successes, and stories keep presenting themselves as if I am to pay attention and communicate something more about them... And wow, what a gift of success I have experienced from some of my favorite publications.

CIO Magazine's October 15 edition ran a fascinating brief "How to Succeed in Business" an interview with Kevin Turner. Kevin Turner is a fascinating focus study on leadership. Kevin Turner joined his company as a clerk in 1985, and was one of the youngest employees to enter the executive ranks of corporate officer. He was Vice President of Application Development at 29. An early innovator and encouraging office employees to understand the value of helping use IT to solve problems, and employeee talent to create solutions.

In the past 6 years, he has served three senior C level positions CIO, CEO, and COO. At 34, Turner began his C level adventures at the top, with Wal-mart, one of the worlds largest customers, and frankly more innovative users of IT to deliver profitability benefits. 3 years later, he was promoted to Sam's Club as CEO of a $37 Billion in Business serving 46 million members. Last year he traded up for a COO position at Microsoft, leading a global organization of 32,000 with upwards of $40 Billion in Business. Key in his story was the importance of networking to discover what is the best use of your resources.. Regular inventory of learnings and business operations, awareness of the external marketplace demands, and creating and driving clear business value.

"When you adopt a philosophy that it's the people that make the difference, your effectiveness as a leader goes up astronomically."

Fortune October 30, 2006 Excellence issue was another great read. Hector Ruiz, CEO of AMD since April 2002 has increased marketshare to compete with companies 6 times it's size. He says the key to their succcess is first and foremost, humility, followed by change advocacy leadership.. He advises it is not about crisp perfection, it is about expecting creativity in a timely manner.. Time bound results-- within a speeding zone, but the offense should never be in getting parking tickets. This suggests that innovation is best when being applied quickly with all the organization behind the possibility. Thinking and listening more was also important Reuiz talked about how it is important to sync on vision before acting on assumption and missing any key opportunity. Be available, Listen, Think, Act.

Branson of Virgin. Gates at Microsoft. And it appears that our own Jonathan Schwartz of Sun is part of that model.. Being the change means stepping into the larger context and possibility. Schwartz has boldly charged people to be more actively involved in being the change, the possibility, and the solution. Breaking out of the "way it's always been done" is a start, but chartering a deliberate course with innovation, opportunity, and value is the real answer, and Sun is fully aligned to service companies that need flexibility, innovation, and good solutions.

When I think back on some of my mentors, managers, and leaders I realize that vision, expectation, and communication play a role. Clearly articulating a vision for what they want, and what they do not want, sets a clear stage. It takes courage to dream bigger than most to create uncommon opportunity and competitive advantage. And so it would seem in C Level Leadership the key is in leadership and allowing the action, creativity, and solutions to emerge. It means articulating a belief in the vision, the product, the talent, and the demand... It means responding to the business conditions of the moment, with an eye and mind on the real value, the real potential, the real mission, the vision for how it becomes possibility!

Whether your ascent to success is the result of steady consistent work, or a shockingly fast demand cycle, success happens and people are creating breakthrough profitability..

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