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Do your job!

This three-word mantra is the foundational philosophy that has kept the New England Patriots atop the standings in the N.F.L. for nearly two decades.

A major deal that looked so promising yesterday is starting to unravel. An employee you entrusted with a lot of responsibility makes a critical and costly mistake. A vendor “drops the ball” and puts a significant customer order in jeopardy.

When we avoid accountability, we will eventually be forced to accept it.

There’s a fine line between ambition and greed. And it could make the difference in whether or not a company will become a noteworthy success or a cautionary tale.

What separates perennial champions like the NFL’s New England Patriots and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors from the contenders? It’s not necessarily the talent. Sure, both teams are led by future Hall-of-Famers. But the NFL and NBA are littered with stories of superstar “dream teams” that failed to live up to the hype. So what’s the difference? It’s execution.

You're drafting an important proposal to get to a client by the end of the day. But 10 minutes in, your phone starts buzzing. A text message notification.

Remember the story of Alice in Wonderland? In one scene, Alice arrives at a fork in a road, where she sees a Cheshire cat sitting in the tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” the cat responded. “I don’t know,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter,” said the cat.

“I am always responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.”

“Our relationships are being starved to death by velocity. No one has the time to listen, let alone love.”

When someone asks you “How are you?” what’s your response?