As you look back over 2007, you're feeling
a vague sense of discontent. Business is sluggish. Several key employees have
left. And with new competitors springing up every day, you need to be at the
top of your industry. Oh, things are not terrible—not yet—but they
could be a lot better. You need to turn things around, and you know you need
to make some big changes in the upcoming year. Problem is, you're not sure what
they are. A new improvement initiative? A hot new product? A new executive team?
Quint Studer has a suggestion: Make 2008 the year you focus on leadership. Not
leaders, mind you—leadership.

"Solid business results that stand the test of time do so for one reason
and one reason only: consistently excellent leadership," insists Studer,
author of Wall Street Journal bestseller Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors
That Will Take Your Company to the Top. "Products and services change with the demands of the market.
Individual leaders come and go. The key is to create an organizational culture
that ensures great leadership today and tomorrow."

In other words, you need a long-term fix, not a magic bullet or a trendy program
du jour or a charismatic leader. You need a culture built on good, solid, time-tested
leadership principles. Studer urges organizations to institute proven across-the-board
behaviors that don't depend on particular individuals. His book reveals some
tried and true "best practices"—also known as evidence-based
leadership—that enable companies of all types to create results that last.

These practices are not complicated. They're simple, commonsense tactics that
leaders can get their hands around and start doing right away. And you don't
have to adopt every directive in his book to enjoy significant results. In fact,
says Studer, implement these five "biggies" and you'll see dramatic
changes by the end of 2008:

· Get rid of low performers. Now. Let's say your employee Carol
consistently comes in late, gets "headaches" every other (non-payday)
Friday, and spends more time cheerily chatting up coworkers than she does working.
Others will notice—and they will be resentful. But worse than merely causing
contention in the ranks, turning a blind eye to the "Carols" in your
organization squelches profitability. Why? Because middle performers get pulled
down to the low-performer level, while high performers either a) disengage or
b) leave.

"Too many of us give low performers a pass," says Studer, whose remedy
involves implementing a structured series of high-middle-low performer conversations.
"It's easier not to confront low performers, and trust me, a leader can
find a thousand other things to do instead. But until you move them either

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