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Show and Tell Set the scene for success in your workplace with the art of visual management.

By Mark Henricks

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Every entrepreneur knows a picture is worth a thousand words.But how many apply that knowledge by deliberately managing whattheir employees see? Not many. That may change, thanks to thepowerful and intriguing promise held out by Stewart Liff and PamelaA. Posey in Seeing Is Believing: How the New Art of VisualManagement Can Boost Performance Throughout YourOrganization (Amacom, $29.95).

Liff, a government official, and Posey, a leadership consultant,explain why using words to tell people what to do isn't nearlyas effective as showing them with pictures, photographs,charts--even flags, dress codes and paint schemes. More than agraphics how-to, this is a comprehensive description of how tobuild a workplace where information about the company, its goalsand customers is provided to employees in ways that can influencetheir expectations and performances.

That Thing You Do

Success is not determined by the particular strategy you pursue.What matters more is how thoroughly you execute your approach.That's the surprising conclusion of an extensive study LaurenceHaughton reports in It's Not What You Say . . . It's What YouDo (Currency Doubleday, $24.95). Haughton says companiescan improve follow-through in four steps: 1) Start with a cleardirection, 2) match the right people to every goal, 3) build plentyof buy-in, and 4) increase individual initiative to help maintainmomentum.


Mark Henricks is Entrepreneur's Staff Smartscolumnist.

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