The Soft Edge

What Does it Take to Get Ahead Now And Stay There? High performance has always required shrewd strategy and superb execution. These factors remain critical, especially given today s unprecedented business climate. But Rich Karlgaard Forbes publisher, entrepreneur, investor, and board director takes a surprising turn and argues that there is now a third element that s required for competitive advantage. It fosters innovation, it accelerates strategy and execution, and it cannot be copied or bought. It is found in a perhaps surprising place your company s values. Karlgaard examined a variety of enduring companies and found that they have one thing in common; all have leveraged their deepest values alongside strategy and execution, allowing them to fuel growth as well as weather hard times. Karlgaard shares these stories and identifies the five key variables that make up every organization s soft edge : Trust: Northwestern Mutual has built a $25 million dollar revenue juggernaut on trust, the foundation of lasting success. Learn how to create an environment that engenders trust and propels high performance. Smarts: In most technical fields your formal education quickly becomes out of date. How do you keep up? Learn how the Mayo Clinic, Stanford University women s basketball team, and others stay on top by relentlessly pursuing an advantage through smarts. Teamwork: Since collaboration and innovation are a must in the global economy, effective teamwork is vital. Learn how global giant FedEx stays focused and how nimble Nest Labs relies on lean teams with cognitive diversity. Taste: Clever product design and integration are proxies for intelligence because they make customers feel smart. But taste goes further into deep emotional engagement. Specialized Bicycles calls it the elusive spot between data truth and human truth. How can you consistently make products or services that trigger these emotional touch points? Story: Companies that achieve lasting success have an enduring and emotionally appealing story. What s your company s story? How do you tell it your way? Gain the ability to create a powerful narrative in a world where outsiders often exercise the louder voice.

What Does it Take to Get Ahead Now--And StayThere?High performance has always required shrewd strategy and superbexecution. These factors remain critical, especially giventoday's unprecedented business climate. But RichKarlgaard--Forbes publisher, entrepreneur, investor, and boarddirector--takes a surprising turn and argues that there is nowa third element that's required for competitive advantage. Itfosters innovation, it accelerates strategy and execution, and itcannot be copied or bought. It is found in a perhaps surprisingplace--your company's values.Karlgaard examined a variety of enduring companies and foundthat they have one thing in common; all have leveraged theirdeepest values alongside strategy and execution, allowing them tofuel growth as well as weather hard times. Karlgaard shares thesestories and identifies the five key variables that make up everyorganization's "soft edge":* Trust: Northwestern Mutual has built a $25 milliondollar revenue juggernaut on trust, the foundation of lastingsuccess. Learn how to create an environment that engenders trustand propels high performance.* Smarts: In most technical fields your formal educationquickly becomes out of date. How do you keep up? Learn how the MayoClinic, Stanford University women's basketball team, andothers stay on top by relentlessly pursuing an advantage throughsmarts.* Teamwork: Since collaboration and innovation are a mustin the global economy, effective teamwork is vital. Learn howglobal giant FedEx stays focused and how nimble Nest Labs relies onlean teams with cognitive diversity.* Taste: Clever product design and integration are proxiesfor intelligence because they make customers feel smart. But tastegoes further into deep emotional engagement. Specialized Bicyclescalls it "the elusive spot between data truth and humantruth." How can you consistently make products or servicesthat trigger these emotional touch points?* Story: Companies that achieve lasting success have anenduring and emotionally appealing story. What's yourcompany's story? How do you tell it your way? Gain theability to create a powerful narrative in a world where outsidersoften exercise the louder voice.

Foreword by Tom Peters xiPreface: A Tale of Transformation--and Lasting ProductivityGains xvii1 A Wellspring of Enduring Innovation: The Soft Edge 12 Hard Versus Soft: The Fight for Resources 203 Trust: The Force Multiplier of All Things Good 364 Smarts: How Fast Can You and Your Company Adapt? 665 Teams: Great Things Come to the Lean and Diverse 1006 Taste: Beauty Made Practical, Magic Made Profitable 1377 Story: The Power of Story, Ancient and New 173Conclusion: The Sweet Spot of High Performance 209Afterword by Clayton M. Christensen 219Notes 223Acknowledgments 233About the Author 237Index 238