You Can Do It

By Barbara Kiviat

Why do winners win and losers lose? The key is neither talent nor money but rather attitude, writes Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter in her latest book, Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End. Kanter pulls case studies from business, sports and politics, including extended inside looks at Gillette, Continental Airlines and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Her conclusion is that winning organizations--from NFL franchises to FORTUNE 500 companies--share three core characteristics: they instill accountability at all levels, cultivate collaboration and teamwork and encourage initiative and innovation. With illustrative examples, Kanter lays out how to overcome attitude problems like passivity, inefficacy, finger pointing and panic in order to become a winner. But be warned: Kanter often calls for sweeping action, like clearing out top management or drastically reallocating resources. Confidence, apparently, often starts with bold action. --By Barbara Kiviat