????從今天起，我們將在連續六周的每個周五，請寶潔公司（Procter & Gamble）前營銷總監、《增長力：如何打造世界頂級品牌》一書的作者吉姆?斯登格帶來系列專欄文章，講述那些追求完美的優秀公司都采取了哪些優秀的做法，以及它們從競爭中脫穎而出的秘訣。

????頂線增長（也稱營利增長，即營銷效應所產生的收入增長——譯注）對于每個聰明的企業領導來說都是第一要務。但是近年來，隨著發展中市場增速放緩，加上似乎從各個角度冒出來的競爭，人們對頂線增長的渴求變得愈加迫切，甚至可以說有些瘋狂。

????既然頂線增長這么難搞定，為什么企業領導們不好好研究一下如何讓企業增長的學問呢？

????兩年前我出版了我的第一本書《增長力：如何打造世界頂級品牌》。這本書是根據對50個高增長品牌長達10年的研究，以及我在寶潔公司25年的經驗和教訓寫成的。它的主題是：那些提出并積極踐行一個更高理想的公司都獲得了極高的增長率回報。

????最近探討所謂基于理想或曰基于目標的增長理論有很多，我的書只是其中之一。另外兩個例子是亞當?格蘭特的《予與取》（Give and Take ）和丹尼爾?平克的《駕馭》（Drive）。

????我在寶潔公司學到了企業增長的基本原則。在寶潔工作期間，我看到當寶潔的領導踐行某種理想時，寶潔的幾十個子品牌在幾十個國家都取得了顯著增長。在我從事咨詢業務的那些年，當企業領導追求某種理想時，也產生了相似的成果。而當他們沒有追求理想時，有時我會發現他們就會陷入某些困難。

????于是，我與一位同事，也就是辛辛那提大學卡爾?H?林德納商學院（Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati）的克里斯?亞倫教授進行了為期一年的全球之旅。我們想去探索商業操作的智慧，看看那些踐行某種理念、同時成功地在競爭中戰勝了競爭對手的企業都采取了哪些行為和做法。

????This is Part 1 of a series for Fortune.com by Jim Stengel, former global CMO of Procter & Gamble and author of Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World's Greatest Companies. In today's Guest Post and in five more over the next five Fridays, Jim digs into the best practices of the best ideal-based companies and explores how they outgrow their competition.

????Top-line growth is and always has been the first priority for every smart business leader. Yet lately, the conversations about growth are becoming more urgent, even frantic, as developing markets slow and competition seems to come from everywhere.

????With top-line growth so elusive, why aren't more leaders acting on the abundant learning on how to grow businesses?

????Two years ago I published my first book, Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World's Greatest Companies. The book is based on a 10-year study of 50 high-growth brands, combined with stories and lessons from my 25-year career at Procter & Gamble. The central theme of the book: brands that articulate and activate a higher ideal -- in all they do -- are rewarded with especially high rates of growth.

????My book is just one of many recent explorations of the power of an ideals-based, or purpose-based, approach to growing a business. Adam Grant's Give and Take and Daniel Pink's Drive are two other examples.

????I learned the fundamental rules of growing businesses at P&G, where I saw remarkable growth by dozens of P&G brands in dozens of countries when leaders acted on ideals. Now, in my consulting practice, I see similar results when leaders activate ideals -- and I see others struggle when they fail to do so.

????So I went on a year-long, global road trip with a colleague, Professor Chris Allen from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. We wanted to discover practical wisdom, to get "granular," to shed light on the behaviors and practices of leaders who are activating ideals and outgrowing their competitors.