It’s easy to focus on the person at the head of the table. That person is undoubtedly important, but I would argue that he or she wouldn’t be there without the team of people sitting nearby. I’ll add that for us, it’s a long table.

Those in leadership make big commitments, but someone must back them up. To me, consistent follow through is the largest component of success. The core of people whose talents and strengths fill in where a leader might have weaknesses or lack of bandwidth are the lifeblood of any organization.

In our own office, and especially when I visit with our contacts and customer relationships, I make it a point to look past the head of the table and zero in on what each person who has a seat at the table is contributing, getting to know all the faces.