The 10x Results approach is guided by 10 principles that, if applied consistently, will put your company on a new growth trajectory:

The 10x Results approach

The 10 principles that guide the 10x Results approach

(1) Focus: Don’t try to do it all and become mediocre in the process. Focus on selected customer segments, selected products/services and become world class in what you do. Only then will you be able to attract and keep loyal customers.

(2) Simplify and cut complexity: Complex processes, complex and long decision-making processes, complex products and services is what can derail you. Fight complexity. Make simplicity in everything you do one of your company’s mottos.

(3) Insane customer focus: Who pays your bills? Who does your company exist for? Yes, your customers. Keep this front and center for everybody in the company, not just the sales and customer service teams.

(4) Constant, small improvements/getting better every day: Big change efforts often fail. It is the small, daily improvements—compounded over months and years—that will make a big difference. Instill a mindset of “better every day.”

(5) Bias for action and smart risk-taking: Inaction is the enemy of greatness. If you believe that an idea is great, then run a small pilot. You will learn a lot from it; many great companies were born from this mindset. Understand the risk profile, and hedge the downside.

(6) Measure success: Understand the key lead indicators for success in your business. It is typically less than 10—sometimes even only five. Having focus on the five to 10 lead KPIs that drive real value in your business will give you clarity in managing the company and decision making.

(7) Hire and keep only A players: Passion and attitude are often more important than an ivy league MBA. Passion for the job and for your company’s mission is more important than the best technical skill. Technical skill can be taught, but you cannot teach passion and attitude. Keeping C players—or even B players—in your company will demotivate your A players, and in the process, you will lose them. Only A players attract A players.

(8) Unleash your people: Give them a “why” that is worth fighting for, and set the expectations for their performance very high. Delegate authority to them and hold them 100 percent accountable. Praise them for every good performance and reprimand them for everything that was sub-par. This will help them grow; before long you will be surprised at what they are capable of.

(9) Release the brakes on revenue growth: Pricing full potential. Effective referral and testimonial systems to multiply your success in new customer acquisition. Joint ventures and partnerships. Smart capability-based acquisitions. Focused innovation in areas that allow you to differentiate. Once you start looking into all these areas, you will realize that you can double, quadruple, or even 10x your top-line growth.

(10) Manage the change from day one/co-create with your people: Effectively managing the change before resistance surfaces is a cornerstone of great companies. Involving your leadership team and also key multipliers among your employees early in the process will help you achieve this. Trust is the foundation for change management success.

Building a strong business is like building a pyramid that can endure millennia. First, you need a strong foundation. Then, you can build layer after layer of excellence on top of each other. The 10x Results approach follows the same principles; therefore, we have chosen to illustrate the approach using a pyramid.

Overall, the 10x Results approach includes 35 levers, or initiatives, that you can pull from to realize the full potential of your business. These 35 individual levers fall into five major categories, or as we call them, layers of the pyramid: (1) Foundation, (2) People, (3) Growth and Innovation, (4) Peak performance, and (5) Results capture. You can find more details on each of the initiatives in the book "10x Results: 240+ proven ideas to boost revenues, profits, customer loyalty, and employee engagement." The following graphic illustrates this integrated approach:

The 10x Results pyramid

The 10x Results approach addresses many of the shortcomings of the traditional approaches:

How 10x Results addresses the shortcomings of traditional approaches

Addresses the root causes: The 10x Results approach addresses the problems at the root and not at a superficial level. For example, the “people” initiatives will allow you to create a high-performance organization composed of A players who are freed from their shackles and ready to take on any challenge.
Integrated approach: The 10x Results approach is not a loose combination of individual best practices. Instead, each initiative will complement and amplify the impact of the other initiatives.
Flexible: 10x Results is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It allows you to customize the individual elements to the specific needs of your business—whether it is a small or large enterprise, or during a boom or bust period. The 10x Results approach is flexible enough to accommodate for these factors and still be effective.
The right sequence: First, you need to get your house in order, before you can pursue other growth opportunities. The two base layers of the pyramid—“foundation” and “people”—will help you do just that.
Focus on results capture from day one: Change management starts well before the change has been communicated. It is a core element in preparing a successful transformation, and it needs to be given that role.
Does not overload the organization: The 10x Results approach can be customized to fit perfectly with what your company needs and what it is capable of delivering.