Annual Performance Review Jim Halpert

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Performance Review Report 10/29/2009

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www.EchoSpan.com | 888-300-9978 Review Details

Employee: Jim Halpert

Position: Regional Salesperson (Form Complete) Reviewer(s): Michael Scott Jim Halpert (Form Complete) Self-evaluation

Review Form: Accounting Review Form

Date: 10/27/2009

Rating Scale Used This review employed the following rating scale when asking reviewers to provide ratings of the subject's performance.

Scale Option Assigned Value

Not Observed ---

Never 1

Almost Never 2

Sometimes 3

Frequently 4

Almost Always 5

Always 6

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 2 of 19 Competency Profile The Competency Profile radar chart below shows scores all competencies. Radar charts are useful in easily spotting gaps between respondents' perceptions and observations of an individual's behaviors. More favorable scores fall toward the outside of the chart.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 3 of 19 Competency Summary This report shows average ratings for each competency in the review. The HI and LO columns present the highest and lowest ratings submitted by each respondent for a given competency.

AVG HI LO 4.8 5.9 3.0 Overall Rating: 4.3 out of 6.0 4.3 4.3 4.3 Aggregate ratings for all competencies in review. 4.7 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 2.0 1. Computer Skills 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.8 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 5.6 2.2 2. Continuous Learning 4.2 4.2 4.2 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.8 6.0 3.5 3. Continuous Improvement 5.8 5.8 5.8 2.8 - -

AVG HI LO 4.8 6.0 3.0 4. Motivation 5.5 5.5 5.5 4.8 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 5.6 3.0 5. Planning & Organizing 3.2 3.2 3.2 4.6 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 3.0 6. Quality 3.8 3.8 3.8 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.1 6.0 3.6 7. Reliability 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.6 - -

AVG HI LO 4.8 6.0 3.5 8. Results-Oriented 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.8 - -

Rating Scale: 6 = Always; 5 = Almost Always; 4 = Frequently; 3 = Sometimes; 2 = Almost Never; 1 = Never; 0 = Not Observed

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 5 of 19 Individual Review Items Scores for individual review items are below. Results are grouped by competency. The HI and LO columns present the highest and lowest ratings submitted by the feedback provider(s) for a given review item. The N columns shows the number of responses submitted for a particular item.

AVG HI LO 4.9 6.0 1.0 1. Navigates the Internet to find information. 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.5 6.0 2.0 Uses a computer application to type text, insert 2. pictures, format documents. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 2.0 Uses a computer application to enter, manipulate, 3. and format text and numerical data. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 3.0 Uses a computer application to create, manipulate, 4. edit, and show virtual slide presentations. 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.4 6.0 2.0 Uses searches, hypertext references, and transfer 5. protocols. 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim is clearly able to originate action to improve existing conditions and processes. He uses appropriate methods to identify opportunities, implement solutions, and measure impact.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 6 of 19 Continuous Learning AVG HI LO Keeps up-to-date on current research and 5.1 6.0 2.0 technology in one's work focus and identifies and 2. pursues areas for development and training that 6.0 6.0 6.0 will enhance job performance. 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.5 6.0 2.0 3. Takes responsibility for one's own development. 5.0 5.0 5.0 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.5 5.0 3.0 Maintains fluency in appropriate work applications, 4. software, or tools. 4.0 4.0 4.0 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO Reviews, selects, and disseminates information 4.4 6.0 2.0 5. regarding key technologies, best practices, and 3.0 3.0 3.0 tools to others in the group. 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.3 5.0 2.0 Continually looks for ways to expand job 6. capabilities. 3.0 3.0 3.0 6.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim tests solutions and gathers feedback on effectiveness. He reviews impact on baseline measurements and modifies solutions as appropriate to ensure effectiveness.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 7 of 19 Continuous Improvement AVG HI LO Regularly engages in brainstorming and other 5.3 6.0 4.0 means to generate creative new solutions and 2. approaches to customer issues and business 6.0 6.0 6.0 processes. 3.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 4.0 Builds on the ideas of others to come up with new 3. ways to address business issues or problems. 6.0 6.0 6.0 3.0 - -

AVG HI LO Documents processes and collects performance 4.7 6.0 4.0 4. measurement data to determine where 6.0 6.0 6.0 improvements can be made. 3.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 3.0 5. Makes use of quality tools to improve processes. 6.0 6.0 6.0 3.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 3.0 6. Actively participates in quality improvement teams. 5.0 5.0 5.0 2.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 3.0 Takes calculated risks to help the organization 7. advance towards its strategic goals. 6.0 6.0 6.0 3.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim uses appropriate techniques to move others to action or to gain agreement. He presents products, services or ideas in a manner that clearly shows how they would meet needs and provide benefits.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 8 of 19 Motivation AVG HI LO Creates and sustains an organizational culture 5.0 6.0 4.0 2. which encourages others to provide the quality of 6.0 6.0 6.0 service essential to high performance. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 3.0 Enables others to acquire the tools and support 3. they need to perform well. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 3.0 4. Shows a commitment to public service. 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO Influences others toward a spirit of service and 4.8 6.0 2.0 5. meaningful contributions to mission 5.0 5.0 5.0 accomplishment. 4.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim continuously allocates appropriate amounts of time for completing own and others’ work. He avoids scheduling conflicts and develops appropriate timelines and milestones to reach appropriate work goals.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 9 of 19 Planning & Organizing AVG HI LO Develops or uses systems to organize and keep 4.7 6.0 3.0 2. track of information (e.g., to-do lists, appointment 3.0 3.0 3.0 calendars, follow-up file systems). 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO Sets priorities with an appropriate sense of what is 4.4 6.0 3.0 3. most important and plans with an appropriate and 3.0 3.0 3.0 realistic sense of the time demand involved. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.3 5.0 2.0 Keeps track of activities completed and yet to do, 4. to accomplish stated objectives. 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.9 6.0 4.0 Keeps clear, detailed records of activities related 5. to accomplishing stated objectives. 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.8 5.0 3.0 6. Knows status of one's own work at all times. 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim draws upon multiple and diverse sources for ideas and inspiration. He targets areas for innovation and assists in developing solutions that address meaningful work issues.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 10 of 19 Quality AVG HI LO 5.1 6.0 4.0 Shows concern for quality, accuracy, and 2. completeness of work activities. 5.0 5.0 5.0 6.0 - -

AVG HI LO Plans own work activities in advance to insure that 4.4 6.0 2.0 3. all assignments are completed in a timely and 4.0 4.0 4.0 quality manner. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO Uses established systems (i.e. software) to 4.6 6.0 3.0 4. organize and efficiently keep track of information, 4.0 4.0 4.0 data, time, and resources. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 3.0 Personally seeks to add value in every work 5. assignment. 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.0 6.0 3.0 Notices opportunities to improve quality and takes 6. action to do so. 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim performs actions as promised and does not share confidential information. He behaves consistently across most situations.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 11 of 19 Reliability AVG HI LO Shows commitment/dedication and accountability 5.0 6.0 3.0 2. in one's work, and follows through on all projects, 5.0 5.0 5.0 goals, aspects of one's work. 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.8 6.0 3.0 Completes all assigned tasks on time and with 3. minimal supervision. 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.2 6.0 4.0 4. Arrives at work on time every day. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.0 6.0 4.0 Fulfills all commitments made to peers, co- 5. workers, and supervisor. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO Works to achieve agreement (by offering 5.4 6.0 4.0 6. alternatives, etc.) on time frames or objectives that 5.0 5.0 5.0 can be realistically met. 5.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim pushes decision making and autonomy downward through the organization and provides encouragement and support to others in accepting responsibility with accountability.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 12 of 19 Results-Oriented AVG HI LO Sets challenging, measurable project goals that 5.4 6.0 5.0 2. are aligned with broad County strategies and 5.0 5.0 5.0 departmental business objectives. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.2 6.0 4.0 Plans, organizes, and implements projects to meet 3. established timeframes. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

As opportunities arise, reengineers business AVG HI LO processes and improves organizational 5.0 6.0 4.0 effectiveness by proposing and implementing 4. change initiatives required to improve efficiency, 5.0 5.0 5.0 streamline operations, and meet current and future 4.0 - - business needs. AVG HI LO 5.0 6.0 4.0 Measures performance against key operational 5. and financial targets/goals. 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 5.0 6.0 4.0 Investigates and adopts best practices where 6. possible. 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.4 6.0 3.0 Sets appropriate priorities and modifies as 7. needed. 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO Is accountable for personal performance and goal 4.4 6.0 2.0 achievement and maintains sufficient content and 8. knowledge to perform all aspects of the job 2.0 2.0 2.0 effectively. 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.2 6.0 2.0 Applies contemporary technical concepts to 9. communications. 2.0 2.0 2.0 5.0 - -

Comments Michael Scott wrote: Jim is unable to consistently maintain optimism in word, appearance, and action when interacting with others.

AVG HI LO 4.6 6.0 2.0 3. Treats others with respect and dignity. 2.0 2.0 2.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.7 6.0 2.0 4. Gives and accepts constructive feedback. 2.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.9 6.0 3.0 5. Works effectively in a diverse work environment. 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

AVG HI LO 4.9 6.0 3.0 Focuses on the situation, issue or behavior rather 6. than on the person 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 - -

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 14 of 19 Goals and Objectives The table below shows your current goals and objectives. Goals that have been marked "closed" are not shown.

Goal/Objective Creator Assigned Due Progress Score 1. Implement EchoSpan Scott, M. 4/23/2009 4/23/2010 95% 0

2. Increase sales $1,500,000 in SE region Scott, M. 1/21/2009 4/4/2010 55% 0

3. Increase new client contracts 50% Scott, M. 2/6/2009 4/4/2010 80% 0

4. Reduce data entry errors by 75 percent Scott, M. 3/6/2009 3/6/2010 50% 0

5. Test Goal Scott, M. 3/4/2009 3/4/2010 50% 0

6. Implement EchoSpan Scott, M. 1/29/2009 1/29/2010 80% 0

7. Increase number of new accounts _30_% Scott, M. 1/22/2009 1/26/2009 80% 0

8. Increase number of new customers 15% Scott, M. 1/26/2009 9/7/2008 100% 0

9. Increase overall sales revenue _20_% Scott, M. 2/9/2008 8/25/2008 40% 0

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 15 of 19 Recommended Reading The following articles are presented in partnership with the Harvard Business Review and other high-quality content sources. The articles below were dynamically identified as recommended reading to assist you in your professional growth and development. You can retrieve or purchase these articles by visiting http://www.echospan.com/articles and entering the article ID below the article's title.

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels Michael D. Watkins Article ID: A20076 Fully a quarter of all managers in major corporations enter new leadership roles each year. Whether their assignments involve leading a work group or taking over a company as CEO, they face very similar challenges--and risks--in those critical first months on the job. How new leaders manage their transitions can make all the difference between success and failure. In this hands-on guide, Michael Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions, offers proven strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in ones career. Concise and practical, The First 90 Days walks managers through every aspect of the transition, from mental preparation to forging the right alliances to securing critical early wins. Through vivid examples of success and failure at all levels, Watkins identifies the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter and provides tools and strategies for how to avoid them.

Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? What It Takes to Be an Authentic Leader Rob Goffee, Gareth Jones Article ID: A200713 Too many companies are managed not by leaders, but by mere role players and faceless bureaucrats. What does it take to be a real leader--one who is confident in who she is and what she stands for and who truly inspires people to achieve extraordinary results? Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones argue that leaders dont become great by aspiring to a list of universal character traits. Rather, effective leaders are authentic: They deploy individual strengths to engage followers hearts, minds, and souls. They are skillful at consistently being themselves, even as they alter their behaviors to respond effectively in changing contexts. In this lively and practical book, Goffee and Jones draw from extensive research to reveal how to hone and deploy ones unique leadership assets while managing the inherent tensions at the heart of successful leadership: showing emotion and withholding it, getting close to followers while keeping distance, and maintaining individuality while conforming enough. Underscoring the social nature of leadership, the book also explores how leaders can remain attuned to the needs and expectations of followers. Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? changes forever how we view, develop, and practice the art of leadership, wherever we live and work.

How to Build Your Network Brian Uzzi, Shannon Dunlap Article ID: A200715 Many sensational ideas have faded away into obscurity because they failed to reach the right people. A strong personal network, however, can launch a burgeoning plan into the limelight by delivering private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power. Most executives know that they need to learn about the best ideas and that, in turn, their best ideas must be heard by the rest of the world. But strong personal networks dont just happen around a water cooler or at reunions with old college friends. As Brian Uzzi and Shannon Dunlap explain, networks have to be carefully constructed through relatively high-stakes activities that bring you into contact with a diverse group of people. Most personal networks are highly clustered--that is, your friends are likely to be friends with one another as well. And, if you made those friends by introducing yourself to them, the chances are high that their experiences and perspectives echo your own. Because ideas generated within this type of network circulate among the same people with shared views, a potential winner can wither away and die if no one in the group has what it takes to bring that idea to fruition. But what if someone within that cluster knows someone else who belongs to a whole different group? That connection, formed by an information broker, can expose your idea to a new world, filled with fresh opportunities for success. Diversity makes the difference. Uzzi and Dunlap show you how to assess what kind of network you currently have, helping you to identify your superconnectors and demonstrating how you act as an information broker for others. They then explain how to diversify your contacts through shared activities and how to manage your new, more potent, network.

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 16 of 19 Managing Authenticity by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones Article ID: A200716 Leaders and followers both associate authenticity with sincerity, honesty, and integrity. It’s the real thing—the attribute that uniquely defines great managers. But while the expression of a genuine self is necessary for great leadership, the concept of authenticity is often misunderstood, not least by leaders themselves. They often assume that authenticity is an innate quality—that a person is either genuine or not. In fact, the authors say, authenticity is largely defined by what other people see in you and, as such, can to a great extent be controlled by you.

In this article, the authors explore the qualities of authentic leadership. To illustrate their points, they recount the experiences of some of the authentic leaders they have known and studied, including the BBC’s Greg Dyke, Nestlé’s Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, and Marks & Spencer’s Jean Tomlin.

Establishing your authenticity as a leader is a two-part challenge. You have to consistently match your words and deeds; otherwise, followers will never accept you as authentic. But it is not enough just to practice what you preach. To get people to follow you, you also have to get them to relate to you. This means presenting different faces to different audiences—a requirement that many people find hard to square with authenticity. But authenticity is not the product of manipulation. It accurately reflects aspects of the leader’s inner self, so it can’t be an act.

Authentic leaders seem to know which personality traits they should reveal to whom, and when. Highly attuned to their environments, authentic leaders rely on an intuition born of formative, sometimes harsh experiences to understand the expectations and concerns of the people they seek to influence. They retain their distinctiveness as individuals, yet they know how to win acceptance in strong corporate and social cultures and how to use elements of those cultures as a basis for radical change.

The Ultimately Accountable Job by Jerome A. Colletti and Mary S. Fiss Article ID: A200717 Company leader. The best sales chiefs actively help formulate and execute company strategy, and they collaborate with all functions of the business to deliver value to customers.

Customer champion. Customers want C-level relationships with suppliers in order to understand product strategy, look at offerings in advance, and participate in decisions made about future products—and sales leaders are in the best position to offer that kind of contact.

Process guru. Although sales chiefs must look beyond the sales and customer processes they have honed over the past decade, they can’t abandon them. The focus on process has become only more important as many organizations have begun bundling products and services to meet important customers’ individual needs.

Organization architect. Good sales leaders spend a lot of time evaluating and occasionally redesigning the sales organization’s structure to ensure that it supports corporate strategy. Often, this involves finding the right balance between specialized and generalized sales roles.

Course corrector. Sales leaders must watch the horizon, but they can’t take their hands off the levers or forget about the dials. If they do, they might fail to respond when quick adjustments in priorities are needed.

Managing Yourself Peter F. Drucker Article ID: A200718

Throughout history, people had little need to manage their careers--they were born into their stations in life or, in the recent past, relied on their companies to chart their career paths. But times have drastically changed. Today we must all learn to manage ourselves. What does that

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 17 of 19 mean? As Peter Drucker tells us in this seminal article first published in 1999, it means we have to learn to develop ourselves. We have to place ourselves where we can make the greatest contribution to our organizations and communities. And we have to stay mentally alert and engaged during a 50-year working life, which means knowing how and when to change the work we do. It may seem obvious that people achieve results by doing what they are good at and by working in ways that fit their abilities. But, Drucker says, very few people actually know-- let alone take advantage of--their fundamental strengths. He challenges each of us to ask ourselves: What are my strengths? How do I perform? What are my values? Where do I belong? What should my contribution be? Dont try to change yourself, Drucker cautions. Instead, concentrate on improving the skills you have and accepting assignments that are tailored to your individual way of working. If you do that, you can transform yourself from an ordinary worker into an outstanding performer. Todays successful careers are not planned out in advance. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they have asked themselves those questions and rigorously assessed their unique characteristics. This article challenges readers to take responsibility for managing their futures, both in and out of the office.

The Hidden Traps in Decision Making John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, Howard Raiffa Article ID: A200724 Bad decisions can often be traced back to the way the decisions were made--the alternatives were not clearly defined, the right information was not collected, the costs and benefits were not accurately weighed. But sometimes the fault lies not in the decision-making process but rather in the mind of the decision maker: The way the human brain works can sabotage the choices we make. In this article, first published in 1998, John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa examine eight psychological traps that can affect the way we make business decisions. The anchoring trap leads us to give disproportionate weight to the first information we receive. The status-quo trap biases us toward maintaining the current situation--even when better alternatives exist. The sunk-cost trap inclines us to perpetuate the mistakes of the past. The confirming-evidence trap leads us to seek out information supporting an existing predilection and to discount opposing information. The framing trap occurs when we misstate a problem, undermining the entire decision-making process. The overconfidence trap makes us overestimate the accuracy of our forecasts. The prudence trap leads us to be overcautious when we make estimates about uncertain events. And the recallability trap prompts us to give undue weight to recent, dramatic events. The best way to avoid all the traps is awareness: forewarned is forearmed. But executives can also take other simple steps to protect themselves and their organizations from these mental lapses to ensure that their important business decisions are sound and reliable.

The Making of a Corporate Athlete Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz Article ID: A200726 Management theorists have long sought to identify precisely what makes some people flourish under pressure and others fold. But they have come up with only partial answers: rich material rewards, the right culture, management by objectives. The problem with most approaches is that they deal with people only from the neck up, connecting high performance primarily with cognitive capacity. Authors Loehr and Schwartz argue that a successful approach to sustained high performance must consider the person as a whole. Executives are, in effect, corporate athletes. If they are to perform at high levels over the long haul, they must train in the systematic, multilevel way that athletes do. Rooted in two decades of work with world-class athletes, the integrated theory of performance management addresses the body, the emotions, the mind, and the spirit through a model the authors call the performance pyramid. At its foundation is physical well-being. Above that rest emotional health, then mental acuity, and, finally, a spiritual purpose. Each level profoundly influences the others, and all must be addressed together to avoid compromising performance. Rigorous exercise, for instance, can produce a sense of emotional well-being, clearing the way for peak mental performance. Rituals that promote oscillation--the rhythmic expenditure and recovery of energy--link the levels of the pyramid and lead to the ideal performance state. The authors offer case studies of executives who have used the model to increase professional performance and improve the quality of their lives.

Stop Making Plans; Start Making Decisions Michael C. Mankins, Richard Steele Article ID: A200735

Copyright 2002-2009 EchoSpan, Inc. www.echospan.com | Report for: Jim Halpert Page 18 of 19 Many executives have grown skeptical of strategic planning. Is it any wonder? Despite all the time and energy that go into it, strategic planning most often acts as a barrier to good decision making and does little to influence strategy. Strategic planning fails because of two factors: It typically occurs annually, and it focuses on individual business units. As such, the process is completely at odds with the way executives actually make important strategy decisions, which are neither constrained by the calendar nor defined by unit boundaries. Thus, according to a survey of 156 large companies, senior executives often make strategic decisions outside the planning process, in an ad hoc fashion and without rigorous analysis or productive debate. But companies can fix the process if they attack its root problems. A few forward-looking firms have thrown out their calendar-driven, business-unit-focused planning procedures and replaced them with continuous, issues-focused decision making. In doing so, they rely on several basic principles: They separate, but integrate, decision making and plan making. They focus on a few key themes. And they structure strategy reviews to produce real decisions. When companies change the timing and focus of strategic planning, they also change the nature of senior managements discussions about strategy--from review and approve to debate and decide, in which top executives actively think through every major decision and its implications for the companys performance and value. The authors have found that these companies make more than twice as many important strategic decisions per year as companies that follow the traditional planning model.

Managers with Impact: Versatile and Inconsistent C. Wickham Skinner, W. Earl Sasser Jr. Article ID: A200737 An analysis of the activities of key managers in 31 case studies suggests that managers who consistently accomplish a lot are notably inconsistent in their manner of attacking problems. These high achievers persist, however, in careful situational analysis and self-discipline, which permits them to be inconsistent in personal and managerial style. They consider operating skills and strategies flexible and adjust these to changing circumstances. They recognize classical patterns of problems and solutions and are able to choose discriminatingly among the wide variety of action-techniques available.