IV) FOCUS ON TOP PERFORMERS - Top executives commit their time and resources to the products, services and customers that have the highest return on investment (ROI). They focus on developing new products with a high return and they drop the low return products. In addition, when it comes to employees, they prioritize their time and focus on top performers.
HR, in direct contrast, spends most it's time on bottom performers. It develops rules, policies and training for the average employee, rather than focusing on the needs of higher return top performers. HR, instead of firing poor performers, tries to "fix" them or give them "another chance".

HR action steps

• Develop policies and rules that are designed for "mature adults" and fire those that can not meet that standard
• Learn to segregated the wants and expectations of top performers from those of the average
• Terminate low performing employees (the bottom five percent) and all bad managers
• Drop programs that treat "everyone the same" and instead require that managers and programs differentiate, based on performance. Replace equity with unequal treatment, based on performance
• Become a productivity advocate (internal productivity consultant) not an employee advocate
• Assess situations where teams are effective and encourage individual decision-making in situations when it is most effective
• Shift away from the over-emphasis on inclusion and empowerment for all toward frequently including only top performers and those that need to know, in key decisions

V)  LANGUAGE - Top executives frequently use the language of sports, competition and yes, even warfare. HR people, in contrast talk of cooperation, communities, healing, inclusion, feeling and sharing.

HR action steps

• Learn to use the language of business and competition and drop any “social work-mentality and “psycho-babble”
• Try to use business words (and numbers) like those used by the CFO and in the annual report (profit, ROI, margins, productivity, revenue growth, market share, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage)