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????不要跟行業標桿較勁，也不要一味遵循最佳做法，要挖掘自己獨特的能力

????如果所有公司都把注意力放在與行業標桿進行比較和在職能方面追求卓越（把同一件事做得越來越好）上，最終它們就會并駕齊驅，而且要在同一市場中為更小的份額展開爭奪。相反，要把精力用在培養與眾不同的能力上，在這方面你的公司能比其他任何人做得都好。蘋果公司就是一個例子。無論是什么產品，無論是哪個市場，這家公司都會用“蘋果的方式”進行處理。發現一種消費需求后，蘋果公司會把技術用在這個方面，讓它變得直觀易用，然后大力進行推廣。但情況并非一直如此。曾經有一段時間里，蘋果陷入了和微軟（Microsoft）的惡性競爭之中，而且面臨著很大的麻煩。據史蒂夫?喬布斯回憶，直到蘋果領導層意識到“蘋果不必打敗微軟，蘋果要記住自己是誰”之后，情況才得到好轉。

????停止重組，把文化融入工作當中

????經濟滑坡期間出現了一系列重組。人們常常真的把重組作為解決文化問題、再次邁向成功的隱秘途徑。不幸的是，這樣的重組幾乎不起作用，因為公司文化是出了名地難以撼動。人們企圖通過重組驅除公司文化或者執行與之相悖的策略時，最終獲得勝利的總是它。不要和公司文化對著干，相反，要利用其中的優秀之處以及行之有效的獨特方式，同時為顧客創造價值。不要只是挪動一下組織結構圖里的那些框框，相反，要花時間理順公司的策略和文化，從而為變革提供動力。大家可以想一想健康保險公司安泰保險（Aetna）。2005年前后，新的管理層利用他們的文化優勢對公司進行了構建，時任首席執行官的約翰?羅把他們的構建成果稱為“新安泰”，此舉讓這家公司從每天虧損約100萬美元變成了每天盈利500萬美元。這項策略的重點是給安泰的文化注入活力，同時利用那些已經在為公司文化服務的因素，比如公司150年的歷史給員工帶來的自豪感，公司根深蒂固的對消費者的關注，以及敬業的專業人員團隊。舉例來說，新安泰旨在支持員工為了給患者、服務供應商和公司雇員提供優質服務而付出的努力。在新安泰，員工的忠誠度和滿意度直線上升，它的股價也是如此——從每股5.84美元（復權后）飆升到了48.40美元。

????無論怎樣都要投資——但要把錢花在刀刃上

????公司投資時往往會犯三個典型錯誤。一是不遺余力地全面削減成本，以便增強盈利能力。二是把資金像押寶一樣分散在十幾個新項目上，希望其中的某個項目能夠獲得成功。三是遇到困難時徹底停止投資。這些方法都不會奏效。真正能帶來收益的是像做手術一樣對成本進行策略性削減。然后調整資金流向，更多地投資于左右利潤的核心能力。這種策略能讓你既削減了成本，又變得更加強大。

????除非擔任首席執行官，否則人們很難理解在正確的時間做出正確的決定有多么困難，特別是在市場劇烈波動、股東尖叫不已的時候。它需要異常強大的自制力——有時甚至還需要勇氣。然而，要想從掙扎著擺脫衰退的影響變為自我發展，從而達到那些具備超級競爭力的企業所在的層次，恰恰就需要這樣的領導者。

????本文作者塞薩爾?梅納帝是博斯公司首席執行官。（財富中文網）

????譯者：Charlie

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????Trade benchmarking and best practices for capabilities

????If every company focuses on benchmarking and functional excellence (doing the same things better and better), they'll all end up in the same place—fighting for an ever-smaller share of the same market. Instead, spend your efforts building the handful of distinctive capabilities that your company does better than anyone else. Take Apple. No matter what product, what market, the company approaches it "the Apple way." It spots a consumer need, brings technology to it, makes it intuitive and easy to use, and aggressively markets it. But this wasn't always the case. At one point, Apple was pitted in a destructive competition with Microsoft (MSFT) and was in serious trouble. According to Steve Jobs, things improved only after company leaders realized that "Apple didn't have to beat Microsoft. Apple had to remember who Apple was."

????Stop restructuring and put your culture to work

????There were a raft of reorganizations during the downturn. All too often, a reorg is really a backdoor attempt to solve a culture problem and reengineer success. Unfortunately, it rarely works because corporate culture is notoriously sticky. Culture always wins when you try to restructure it away or execute strategies that run against it. Instead of fighting your culture, leverage what's great about it and the unique way you get work done and create value for your customers. Don't just move the boxes on your org chart; instead, invest time in aligning your strategy and your culture to fuel change. Consider healthcare company Aetna (AET). In the mid-2000s, it went from losing about $1 million a day to making $5 million a day, after new leaders leveraged the strengths of their culture to build what then CEO John W. Rowe called "the New Aetna." The strategy focused on energizing the organization's culture while drawing on what was already working for it: Employee pride in the company's 150-year history; deep-rooted concern about customers; and a team of committed professionals. For example, the New Aetna was designed to support employees' dedication to providing premium service to patients, providers, and employers. Under the New Aetna, employee loyalty and satisfaction skyrocketed—along with the company's stock prices, climbing from $5.84 (split adjusted) to $48.40 a share.

????Invest no matter what—but funnel money where it matters most

????Companies make three classic mistakes in their investments. They relentlessly take out costs across the board to improve profitability. They dilute their investment dollars by making bets on dozens of new projects, hoping that one will win. Or they stop investing completely when times get tough. None of these work. The approach that really pays off is to surgically and strategically cut costs. And then redirect money to invest more in the core capabilities that drive your profits. This allows you to cut costs and grow stronger at the same time.

????Until you take the CEO seat, it's difficult to understand just how tough it is to make the right decision at the right time, particularly when markets are volatile and shareholders are screaming. It takes extraordinary discipline—sometimes, even bravery. But that's exactly the kind of leadership that's required to switch from limping out of the recession to growing your way into the ranks of the super-competitors.

????Cesare Mainardi is CEO of Booz & Company.