* Without learning objectives, individuals, who conceived projects on their own, risk wasting both time and energy. The results may make people feel good because they have accomplished something, but it doesn’t help the team achieve its purpose.

* Morale, initiative, job satisfaction and performance are raised simultaneously when leaders and followers become aware of what they don’t know and are motivated to learn new skills and practice new ways of doing things.

* Individual attitudes are learned from authorities, changed by friends, and enforced by group associations. Which is why fostering new, more positive attitudes in a dysfunctional workplace is a collective responsibility.

* Rumor control guidelines: 1) unless what you’ve heard is official, don’t pass it on; 2) if you decide to pass it on, check first with the original source to get the details straight; 3) pass along only what you know for certain without judgment or opinion.

* No company exists in a vacuum. No matter how well it builds its products or provides its services, there is always someone else trying to do it better, cheaper, faster. To stay viable and competitive, your business must constantly change the way it sees the world.

* Improvement is not just the leader’s responsibility. Followers also need to examine old habits, think in new ways, sharpen their skills, and prepare for the future. Existing processes and procedures should be looked at in terms of what works and what doesn’t.

* Full disclosure of what’s known and unknown exposes the truth about the difficulties an organization is facing. It triggers the search for new tools and ways to improve performance. More importantly, the truth generates a whole new set of change-provoking questions.