Tameer to develop world's largest LED screen in new project

Dubai: UAE development company Tameer Holding will develop the world’s largest LED screen to be embedded on an intended commercial tower in the Majan district of Dubailand, the company announced on Monday.

Termed ‘Podium’, the development will be a world first, boasting a 33-storey high LED media facade that will be visible from a distance of 1.5 kilometres.

The idea generated by Tameer has been designed by LED technology experts Dactronics and will be a powerful medium for advertising, messaging and art.

In addition to its LED façade, the Podium offers 33 levels of premium commercial office space, and two floors dedicated to retail, as well as four floors for parking.

The design of the LED screen, along with the technology utilised in its construction, will not impede the flow of natural light into the building. Thus, the offices directly behind the massive screen will have the same open feel as those on the opposite side of the building.

Tameer is showcasing the Podium project in Cityscape Dubai 2008.

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Nokia Comes With Music officially launches October 16, 5310 XpressMusic eats first

The 5800 XpressMusic is stealing the lion's share of the spotlight today, but the first S60 5th Edition handset out there actually isn't the first to get hooked up with Nokia's all-you-can-eat Comes With Music service. That honor will instead go to the lowly 5310 XpressMusic candybar, which will get access to about 2 million track downloads when it hits Carphone Warehouse in the UK in prepaid form for £130 (about $228) on October 16, a day earlier than rumored. Other models will have to wait, though Comes With Music versions of the N95 8GB and 5800 are both planned.

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Samsung Rolls Out an 8Mpix Camera Phone: The Pixon

Samsung just announced the new Pixon, a full touch 8 Mpix camera phone. Our new mobile phone is 13.8 mm thin and features a 3.2’’ WQVGA full touch screen, an 8 Mpix camera with a 16x digital zoom, music player (MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, WMA), FM radio, DNSe, Bluetooth, and an internal memory of 200MB (Micro SD card compatible).

The new Pixon will be available in mid-October first in France in. No word on price.

Specifications

# Network
* Type
o GSM Quad-band phone capable of global roaming (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
UMTS European/Asian 3G (2100 MHz)
* Data
o Help
dummy popup info
GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA 1.8 Mbit/s/HSDPA 3.6 Mbit/s/HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s
* 3G Capable
o Yes
# Size
* Dimensions
o Help
dummy popup info
4.2 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches (107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8 mm) Size Compare
* Weight
o 4.3 oz (121 g)
# Battery
* Type
o Li - Ion, 1000 mAh
* Talk
o 3.66 hours (220 mins) of Talk time
* Standby
o 290 hours (12 days) of Stand-by time
# Main Display

* Resolution
o 240 x 400 pixels
* Type
o 262 144 colors, TFT
* Touch Screen
o Yes
# Camera
* Resolution
o 8 megapixels Resolution
* Video
o 720x480, 30fps; 320x240, 120fps
* Features
o Auto focus,Image Stabilizer,Face Detection,Smile Detection, Flash: Dual LED, 16x Digital zoom, Additional camera for video calling, Wide Dynamic Range, Geo-tagging
# Multimedia
* Video Playback
o MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD formats supported
* Music Player
o MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, WMA formats supported
* FM Radio
o FM Radio with RDS
# Memory
* Memory Slot
o microSD
* Built-in
o 200 MB
# Input

* Predictive Text Input
o Yes
# Connectivity
* USB
o USB 2.0
* Bluetooth
o 2.0, Stereo Bluetooth
* Connectors
o Proprietary
# Other Features
* PhoneBook
o Caller groups supported, Multiple Numbers Per Contact, Picture ID, Ring ID
* PIM
o Alarm, Calendar, Calculator, TO-DO, World Clock
* Voice
o Recording, Speaker Phone
* Email
o IMAP/POP3/SMTP
* FCC Approved
o Yes

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History - Motorola Makes 'Good' Buy

Motorola today agreed to acquire privately-held Good Technology for an undisclosed sum to bolster its suite of mobile applications for enterprise users.

Motorola and Good are hardly strangers to one another.

Good Technology, which provides mobile computing software and service for the enterprise market, already provides the software enabling the mobile e-mail features of Motorola's Q handheld device, which was unveiled earlier this year.

Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson told internetnews.com that the acquisition is "a complementary and strategic addition that will extend our mobile computing capabilities and increase our enterprise client base."

addition to wireless e-mail, Good provides data access and security offerings that are critical to enterprises deploying handheld devices to their workforce.

The acquisition, expected to close in 2007, also puts Motorola in a better position to compete with Palm, Nokia and Research in Motionin the mobile enterprise space, where acquisitions have picked up in recent months.

Motorola picked up wireless RFID (define) specialist Symbol earlier this fall, while Sybase nabbed mobile apps maker Mobile 365. Nokia acquired Intellisync last November for $430 million.

Steve Drake, who follows the mobile handset market for research firm IDC, noted that Good offers "a fairly robust mobile security product.

"That will be a core functionality as part of that [enterprise] suite," Drake told internetnews.com.

Good Technology, one of the top five companies in its market in terms of market share, achieved its position by selling to all device makers.

Motorola pledged that it will carry that approach forward after the acquisition closes.

Nokia has said it would do the same with Intellisync, but selling software to its competitors can be a tough pill to swallow.

"That's always a challenge for a company largely seen as a mobile device manufacturer," noted Drake.

Drake said that the next step for Motorola will be to offer seamless integration with IP-PBX and the burgeoning demand for VoIP (define) services.

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Motorola's Good(TM) Mobile Messaging Receives ATO Certification From U.S. Army

Rigorous Third-Party Testing Validates the Security and Reliability of Good's S/MIME Solution

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. MOT today announced that its Good(TM) Mobile Messaging Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (Good S/MIME) has passed the rigors of the Army's Authority to Operate (ATO) certification process. Designed specifically for the federal government, Good S/MIME provides secure messaging for mobile devices with common access card (CAC) authentication, email and attachment encryption and signing, and over-the-air synchronization of all certificates. It is compatible with a variety of the most popular Windows Mobile smartphone devices, including the MOTO Q and Q9 families using DOD-certified common access card (CAC) readers.

Having a reliable and secure mobile messaging solution is critical to government organizations that need to access and distribute sensitive information. The Good S/MIME solution authenticates email from senders and receivers before employees can read messages on a smartphone device, ensuring workers are secure no matter their location.

"Motorola's Good Technology Group has built a secure, two-factor smartcard authentication email solution that integrates with the Windows Mobile platform and offers our joint customers additional choice," said Randy Siegel, senior mobility strategist, Microsoft Federal. "Good Mobile Messaging is not only intuitive and easy-to-use for administrators and device users, it also routes all message traffic through Good's Network Operations Centers located within the borders of the Continental United States. Keeping information secure is critical for our Federal and U.S. Public Sector customers."

Security requirements such as the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD 12), a standard for secure and reliable forms of identification, and the Department of Defense Directive (DoD 8100.2), which mandates the use of a common access card (CAC) reader for enhanced authentication, were created to satisfy the highest security requirements of the U.S. Government and the U.S. Department of Defense.

In order to become certified, Motorola had to complete a rigorous third-party testing process through the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to evaluate Good S/MIME as a viable mobile messaging platform for the Army's use. Part of the process included a Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) checklist developed by DISA that provides specific guidance on setting up Good Mobile Messaging S/MIME with common access card readers securely on the U.S. Army's networks. Additional testing was conducted by U.S. Army Advanced Technologies and the Army Research Laboratory.

The Good Mobile Messaging S/MIME Edition offers the following features:

* Automatic signing and encrypting of attachments: Secure access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF documents and pictures
* 3-click CAC pairing: Simple and efficient process to pair CAC readers to smartphones
* Automatic over-the-air (OTA) synchronization of all certificates: Cable-free access to all certificates
* Laptop-like functionality on Windows Mobile smartphone devices: Group and sort emails by conversation threads, set up calendar appointments and look-up conference room availability in real-time
* Web-based monitoring portal: Access to handheld fleet visibility, application blacklisting, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SD-card and camera lock-down through a single management console with OTA controls

As a result of the test, Good has complied with the mandated standards for public key encryption and signing of email.

"Good Mobile Messaging S/MIME has passed the ultimate security test by receiving ATO certification from the U.S. Army," said Mark Williams, director of government sales, Motorola Good Technology Group. "Organizations within the DoD are always on the go and rely on messaging solutions to keep their workforce productive and secure. Motorola is now part of an elite group of vendors that can sell to the Army, which is a testament to the depth and breadth of our offering - and truly listening to the voice of our customer base."

Availability

Good Mobile Messaging S/MIME Edition is available now through certified value-added resellers and directly through Motorola Good Technology Group.

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. The Bluetooth trademarks are owned by their proprietor and used by Motorola, Inc. under license. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Motorola, Inc. 2008. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Motorola, Inc.

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Microsoft: There's More to Life Than Search

A quick glance at the empire that Google built by selling small text ads alongside search results is all the proof you need to know there's a pile of money in search.

But could it be that advertisers give search a little more credit than it deserves?

In a presentation here at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Mixx conference, Microsoft's Young-Bean Song told an audience of online marketers that search is really just the tip of the iceberg. According to Song, who oversees analytics at the company's Atlas Institute, a buyer's online purchasing decision represents the influence of every exposure they have had with a brand, not merely the ad that they clicked on immediately before making their purchase.

The claim continues efforts by Microsoft to take a shot at one of the great conundrums facing the online advertising industry. For all of the consumer behavioral data that the digital space provides, marketers continue to struggle with finding a reliable way to measure the return on investment (ROI) of their ad campaigns, which some say has hindered growth of the Web ad industry.
Moving beyond the "last ad-clicked" model of measuring ROI is the essence of the tracking model that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) introduced in February, called engagement mapping. The model is the product of an extensive research and development initiative undertaken by Song and his team at the Atlas Institute, a research arm that Microsoft picked up through last year's $6 billion acquisition of aQuantive.

Talking up opportunities in non-search advertising also is important for Microsoft in particular, which maintains a large array of online media properties and has gotten into the ad serving and management market through aQuantive.

To support its position, Microsoft today released a new study concluding that 94 percent of all interactions that consumers have with a brand online don't receive any credit when advertisers run ROI studies. It also expanded the beta of its engagement mapping program to make it available to all of its Atlas ad-management clients.

"You don't have to be in marketing to realize that there's a lot more going on," Song said. "People are seeing ads across many, many sites, across many, many channels, over extended periods of time. And all of those different touchpoints are making a difference."

Does search obscure other ads' value?

To illustrate his point, Song offered a parable from the offline world. Trying to gather field research, an ad executive for Corona beer heads into a neighborhood watering hole. He sees the neon Corona sign behind the bar, and proceeds to observe a lot of people standing right in front of that sign and ordering Corona beer. Connecting the dots, the ad executive decides that the sign is all he needs to move product and immediately discontinues all other advertising activities, such as print ads, billboards and TV spots.

A little far-fetched? Sure, and Song admitted as much. But his point was that placing a disproportionate emphasis on the last ad impression a customer saw before making a purchasing decision gives short shrift to the other placements that, Microsoft contends, often deserve the bulk of the credit for driving a conversion.

The online corollary to the Corona sign would be the search ad. Simply measuring search discounts the impact of graphical display ads and rich-media ads, which generally command greater engagement than text-only search ads. But because many people navigate the Web using a search engine, the search ad is very often the last paid placement users click on before visiting the site where they make a purchase.


"If they ultimately use a search ad to get to your Web site, all of that value is obscured, because only the last click is getting credit," he said. "This idea that search is this magical fountain of customer acquisition -- it certainly is in some cases, but in many cases it's not."

The competitive angle

Anyone who has been watching Microsoft throughout the past year might see something a little incongruous about Song's talk. Grabbing a bigger share of the search market, after all, was the principal motivation behind the failed attempt to acquire Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO).

Then in July, after the Yahoo bid had fallen apart, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told analysts at the company's annual financial meeting that the company was prepared to spend heavily on the "trillion-dollar opportunity" that search represented. Search, Ballmer explained, was becoming a "two-horse" race between Microsoft and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG). Chris Liddell, Microsoft's CFO, called Yahoo a declining asset, and the company has repeatedly referred to the attempted Yahoo buyout as a "tactic," not a strategy unto itself.

So while Microsoft is planning to double down on its own position in the search market, it is also now out to prove to advertisers that it might be worth their while to spend more of their online budgets on non-search ad placements.

"There are basic rules, basic bits of data, basic variables that we're all already very comfortable with that can be used to actually take that one ad that's getting all the credit and share that credit amongst all the other digital touchpoints in that consumer's history," Song said.

"How many times have you heard in this industry people lamenting how consumers are spending a third of their time on the Internet, how come we're now seeing a third of [marketers'] budgets on the interactive space?" Song said that engagement mapping could close that gap by providing a weighted value to each ad impression based on its contribution to the consummated transaction.

Microsoft is hoping that its engagement mapping might even have a solution for the monetization woes of the social networks, which typically fetch low ad rates.

"If Facebook and MySpace were actually garnering the amount of media revenue relative to the amount of time spent, those guys would be crushing all of us," Song said. "The reality is that people aren't seeing that value."

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18 ways to be a great boss

There are few career moments as exciting -- and these days, as perilous -- as taking over the top job at a company, business unit, or department. But what exactly do you do once you're in charge?

This online guide provides 18 tactics -- and case studies -- to help you take the reigns running.

1. Begin your transition before you start the job. Use the interview process to get an early jump on learning about the organization. Ask critical questions: How are decisions made? What are the key challenges? Which functions are strong, and which ones need to be overhauled? Use that information to build some initial hypotheses about how you would change things for the better.

Take your cue from Steve Bennett who took over the CEO spot at Intuit Corp. "The interview process is where you start," he says. "That's where you ask all of the questions about what it takes to be successful."

2. Travel widely within your organization, listen carefully, and look for patterns in everything you see and hear. Bruce Patton, co-author of Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most and a partner with Vantage Partners, a Boston-based relationship management consulting firm, advises new leaders to spend a lot of time listening and asking questions. Talk to employees up and down the hierarchy. "Soon you'll start to see a pattern about what's going on," he says.

Within his first month on the job, Steve Bennett hit the road and tested the hypotheses that he had formed during his interviews. In 30 days, he visited dozens of locations and talked to hundreds of people, gathering feedback and insight on what was right - and wrong - with the firm's operations.

3. As you ask questions, look for the rising stars whom you want as part of your team. Your listening tour may help you identify the key players whose skills you need as part of your management team. "If you're engaging in high quality inquiry, you'll want to keep people who had good answers," Patton says.

Asking tough questions is a critical skill, but not necessarily a pleasant experience.

4. Identify the kind of people who will flourish in the environment you want to establish. Even before interviewing people to assemble your team, take the time to identify the challenges ahead -- and the kind of people who are motivated by those situations.

When Scott Lutz was tapped to lead 8th Continent, a soy-milk company borne of a 50-50 joint venture between two corporate giants, DuPont and General Mills, he knew he needed to assemble a team of renegades - people with "the right mix of passion and courage," Lutz describes. "They had to be willing to do things that hadn't been done before."

5. After you've identified the ideal individual, identify the ideal group. Don't stop at finding the type of person you need. Envision how this person will interact with others to get the goals accomplished. Assemble the ideal team. In some cases, literally.

When Pat Gillick took over a mediocre Seattle Mariners club in 1999, he was keenly aware of the kind of group it would take to win a World Series. "Chemistry is unbelievably critical," Gillick says.

"If you come into a workplace, and there is inconsistency, there are disruptive employees, or you don't know what to expect, then you won't be a motivated employee." The Mariners' quest for a happy clubhouse includes paying close attention to the wives and kids of the players. Gillick meets with wives early in the season to work out everything from ticketing to security to the potentially inflammatory problem of who sits where.

6. Acknowledge what you don't know. Identify those around you are the experts and don't be afraid to lean on them. No one expects an incoming leader to know everything. And perhaps there is nothing more off-putting to a future team than someone who mistakenly thinks he or she does.

After 15 years as a manufacturing engineer at Boeing, Bruce Moravec had mastered his technical discipline. But when he was promoted to run the 757 Stretch Program, an ambitious mandate to stretch the plane by 24 feet, add functionality, and do it in less than two years, he understood he'd have to gain the confidence of people who worked in areas he knew little about.

"I had lots of credibility as a manufacturing engineer and second-level manager. But suddenly I was responsible for tool design, fuselage definition, all kinds of areas that weren't in my background."

7. Don't be afraid to listen to people who disagree. Listen, actively, to the people around you, especially those who challenge your assumptions.

Take it from Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's president and CEO and the engineer of the company's dramatic turnaround. "When I came to Nissan, I engaged in what I call 'active listening' with as many people as I could. I also got a lot of advice from outside the company, most of which was very conservative. People told me, 'You can't go fast in Japan. You can't close plants in Japan. You can't reduce head count.' I listened carefully, even to the opinions that totally contradicted my own beliefs, to make sure that when I made my decisions, I hadn't missed anything."

8. But clean house if you have to. Depending on the situation you step into, no matter how clear your vision is, and how evangelical you are, acknowledge that there may be people - some of whom may have already seen your predecessors come and go -- who are too jaded to follow.

Take Dale Fuller's experience. When he took over an ailing Borland Software, which at one time was a pioneer in developing developer tools, five different CEOs had already come and go in the preceding three years.

Skeptics assumed that Fuller was the latest in a series of short-term custodians. Rather than embrace the new direction, they figured that they'd just wait Fuller out. Fuller had other ideas. Within six months, he fired about 400 people, including 60 of his top managers.

9. Establish a way to communicate with -- and listen to -- your entire team. Your strategic course of action is only as effective as your ability to communicate it. Have the pipeline and protocol set up to get your message out there, and don't forget that communication goes both ways.

Dick Brown took over EDS in 1999 and moved swiftly to change old beliefs and behaviors, unleashing a set of practices -- dubbed "operating mechanisms" -- that were designed to create a company-wide culture based on instant feedback and direct, unfiltered communication. One of these practices is the "monthly performance call."

At the beginning of each month, 125 of the company's top worldwide executives punch into a conference call that begins promptly at 7 AM central daylight time. Participation is not optional.

10. Don't trash your predecessor, but don't be shy about promoting your own agenda. Do not assume that the prior administration screwed up or lost sight of the big picture. There's probably an element of truth in that.

But it's almost certainly true that they had a different disaster that they were working to avoid, Patton says. If you've got a clear vision of what needs to be fixed, by all means, implement it. Then ask yourself what led those really smart people to do what they did in such a way that it made sense to them?

Talk about a predecessor: when Melvin Wearing took over the role of chief of police for New Haven, Connecticut, he filled the controversial shoes of someone who resigned after fathering an illegitimate child with a convicted prostitute. On February 24, 1997, his first day on the job, Wearing moved quickly to telegraph the changing of the guard. First up: a visit to each of the day's four lineups (the roll call of officers that begins each shift) -- a practice that his predecessor had shunned.

11. Settle on a few major priorities. You can't fix everything at once. "Typically, you can't do everything you want to do, so you need to make some strategic choices," Patton says. "This is where you begin to align the organization around a common vision for the future."

Perhaps Wearing's most far-reaching legacy will be his focus on quality-of-life crimes -- the so-called broken-windows approach to policing. Just as Rudy Giuliani cracked down on New York's squeegee men, Wearing declared war on New Haven's vagrants and hookers, street-corner dealers, and boom-box blasters. By nipping misdemeanors in the bud, Wearing argues, police may deter more-serious crimes. His approach seems to be working. In 1997, New Haven logged 13,950 major crimes; in 2001, the city had a total of 9,322.

12. Meet the customers. Balance the big picture vision with-front line views. There is no reconnaissance more important than scouting out the territory where your products and services meet their customers. Seeing the customers actually interact provides some invaluable information.

When Gary Kusin took over as CEO of Kinko's Inc., he went into every single one of its 24 markets in the United States, visited more than 200 stores, and met with more than 2,500 team members.

13. Target a few early wins. Momentum counts, and nothing succeeds like success. It's critical for a new leader to create momentum during the transition, say Dan Ciampa and Michael Watkins in their book, "Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role." Pick some problems the organization has not been able to address and figure out a way to fix them quickly to establish a new direction.

When Jim Berra was promoted to head the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Guest program in July 2001, and like any newcomer to a job, Berra was keen to have a few big wins to energize his new team. "I didn't want to solve world hunger in the first three months, but I was looking for a couple of things that would pay immediate dividends," he says.

So he focused on three priorities: First, he had to build better awareness of the company's Preferred Guest program, which lagged behind Hilton and Marriott in visibility despite its unprecedented policies of having no blackout dates and no limit on free rooms. Second, he had to find a way to measure the program's performance. And finally, he had to research customer segmentation for future promotions.

14. Keep an eye on the clock. Faster is almost always better. "Make sure your time is used to its best advantage," says Patton. "When you're new to an organization, many people will want your attention. While it's pleasant to swap stories about each other's golf game, you're better off saving them for the fairway, and using the time in the office to engage in a learning-oriented conversation."

Here's a tip: Create a "Stop Doing" List. Take a look at your desk. If you're like most hard-charging leaders, you've got a well-articulated to-do list. Now take another look: Where's your stop-doing list? We've all been told that leaders make things happen -- and that's true. But it's also true that great leaders distinguish themselves by their unyielding discipline to stop doing anything and everything that doesn't fit.

15. Don't be afraid to make mistakes but be sure to fix them faster than you make them. Any new situation is fraught with hazards, but taking over a top job exposes a new leader to pitfalls ranging from the personal to the organizational.

Accept that you can't know everything in your first six months, and even an extensive professional background can't insulate you from making mistakes in an unfamiliar company and culture. The key is to assess yourself and your progress as rigorously as you do your new colleagues and workplace, and to be prepared to make your own course corrections as you go along.

Last year, Lydia Shire and Paul Licari took over Locke-Ober, a Boston restaurant and Brahmin institution founded in 1875. The entire city was watching, and everybody had an opinion. And the first 10 days were a disaster. "You could have put me in front of a firing squad and it would have felt better," Licari shares.

16. Be wary of reckless re-engineering. If you're assuming leadership of a large organization or department, take the time to understand its current trajectory. Making too drastic and immediate a change can derail both confidence and long-term strategy. Stanford Business School Professor, Jim Collins, warns leaders to be cautious. "Why do overhyped change programs ultimately fail? Because they lack accountability, they fail to achieve credibility, and they have no authenticity."

Consider the Warner-Lambert Co. in the early 1980s. In 1979, Warner-Lambert told Business Week that it aimed to be a leading consumer-products company. One year later, it did an abrupt about-face and turned its sights on health care. In 1981, the company reversed course again and returned to diversification and consumer goods.

Then in 1987, Warner-Lambert made another U-turn, away from consumer goods, and announced that it wanted to compete with Merck. Then in the early 1990s, the company responded to government announcements of pending health-care reform and re-embraced diversification and consumer brands. Between 1979 and 1998, Warner-Lambert underwent three major restructurings -- one per CEO. Each new CEO arrived with his own program; each CEO halted the momentum of his predecessor.

17. Don't be afraid to look for ideas in unusual places. Don't just read your own industry's trade journals. Cast a wide net for insights -- sometimes the breakthrough idea lies in the triumphs of a completely different industry.

When Rob McEwen, took over an underperforming gold mine in northwestern Ontario, he assumed a tough situation: The gold market was depressed, the mine's operating costs were high, and miners were on strike. His breakthrough - an unprecedented move to make his company's proprietary information public and launching a contest to develop the mine over the Internet - came from learning about the Linux operating system and the open-source revolution.

18. Finally, ask yourself who do you really want to prevail, you or your organization? You'd be surprised by the difference.

Consider this: Jim Collins and his team at Stanford Graduate School of Business and asked, what makes a good company great? They started with 1,435 good companies, examined their performance over 40 years, and then identified 11 companies that became great.

Here's one thing they found: The CEOs who took their companies from good to great were largely anonymous -- a far cry from the celebrity CEOs we read about. Collins believes this is more a matter of cause and effect than an accident. There is something directly related between the absence of celebrity and the presence of good-to-great results.

Why? First, when you have a celebrity, the company turns into "the one genius with 1,000 helpers." It creates a sense that the whole thing is really about the CEO. And that leads to all sorts of problems - especially if the person goes away or if the person turns out not to be a genius after all.

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