It has been 50 years since President Kennedy outlined his bold vision to land a man on the moon. Few, in 1961, thought it possible as our space program was still in its infancy. Yet, this newly elected, charismatic leader mobilized a nation and America soon traveled to the moon and back. This was truly one of America's greatest achievements.

While the President always believed we could achieve this goal, he privately feared that many would view this call as a mere political stunt. After all, no one, including NASA officials, had any idea how to do this. Yet, in less than a decade we had landed a man on the moon.

Just like the vision of a nation, a company’s vision provides its people clear direction. It shows them where they are going. It mobilizes them behind a common goal. It gives them purpose and defines why they exist. Without a clear vision, they are lost, wandering aimlessly. As Yogi Bera allegedly stated “when you come to a fork in the road…take it.” Unfortunately, many companies operate that way.

President Kennedy's unambiguous challenge, coupled with his defined timetable, focused an energized American people. Are you inspiring your people with a clear vision?

You can win claims of discrimination. Ken Moulison, President of Moulison North construction company in Biddeford Maine proved that. When one of his employees complained to him that he was being subjected to racial comments on the job site, Ken immediately addressed the problem. That kind of behavior was not tolerated at Moulison-and Ken had a track record to prove it.

Well before this incident, Ken engaged Dacri & Associates to put in place a comprehensive discrimination and harassment prevention program that included training, polices, a complaint procedure and employee education. Armed with this, Ken knew what to do when faced with an incident. Yet, even though Ken quickly corrected the problem-a fact admitted by the employee, a discrimination suit was still filed. Unwilling to settle this case to make it go away, Ken won the initial suit and then won the subsequent appeal. Having a strong anti-discrimination program in place-a fact cited by the judge, Ken wanted to send a clear message that his company does not tolerate discrimination in the workplace, nor would he back down to avoid a fight-a decision Ken believes saved his company $100,000 in settlement and legal fees.

Claims of discrimination or harassment can happen. But when companies have in place strong proactive programs and when managers know how to handle these situations, claims can be won. And managers can have the peace of mind that they did the right thing.

Provide your managers the knowledge and skills to confidently confront your most difficult workforce problems. Improve your organization's performance with trained managers and supervisors.

If you're having trouble finding quality candidates and if you're turning over your best employees, give me a call. We've developed a comprehensive program to ensure you increase the quantity and quality of your new hires, while guarding against the loss of your star performers. Contact me today at rick@dacri.com.

Southwest Airlines is probably one of the most profitable airlines today. Much of their success is due to their outstanding reputation for on time performance. While other airlines struggle, Southwest leads the pack. Now it wasn't always that way. Southwest had a dismal record. In an effort to reverse this, they began a process of benchmarking their activities against other airlines, assuming that by doing this, they could learn and then make the appropriate changes. Unfortunately, you can't benchmark against others who are just as poor at it as you.

In classic innovative thinking, they looked at non-airline industries and organizations that did enjoy good on time performance to understand how to improve their operations. They saw that there was one group who was the best-NASCAR. The NASCAR pit crews excelled here, with employees having clearly defined roles, singular focus, a team approach, always correctly anticipating when the race car would arrive for service, and training rigorously to perfect their task. Cars are in and out of the pit within seconds. With their as their model, Southwest quickly transformed their company's performance.

Southwest decision to not limit their thinking to what others in their industry have done allowed them to come to an innovative solution. By do so, they found the answer right around the corner.

Innovative thinking is critical to growth, profitability, and success. Southwest, 3M, and Google, to name a few, have achieved remarkable results because they invest time, money, education and manpower into innovation. What is your company doing?

Get regular management tips by visiting my blog and joining the discussion on LinkedIn.