"I tell everybody that works for me that I'd rather have them try and fail than not try. And that I want them to make a decision. We can fix a bad decision; we can't fix a no-decision. No one will ever get fired for trying something new or for failing at something they tried to do. I reward people who try, people who think outside the box. I am doing everything I can to empower my team all the way down the chain to say, 'Look, this is what we need to do for the customer.'"

I still recall Peter Goldstone, CEO of Hanley Wood, telling me last year that they have outlawed the word "divisions. We now have centers of excellence." And with that, no more silos. Their centers are "completely integrated" now.