ANIL K. SINGHAL is the Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of NetScout, a software developer that makes products to help customers monitor the reliability and security of their business networks. He provides strategic leadership, vision, operational priorities, and engagement and succession planning for the company's management team.

Acknowledgments xvii

Foreword xix

Introduction xxv

Section I Forming a Great Company Creating a Strong Foundation 1

Chapter 1 Deciding First What Is Important The 5% Rule in Business and Life 5

Behind Every Decision 8

The Ultimate Test 10

Chapter 2 Excited Employees to Satisfied Customers to Happy Shareholders The Virtuous Spiral 13

Chapter 3 Trust Is the Ultimate Empowerment The Decisive Factor 31

Strategic Retention 37

Trust as Simplifier 39

Building Trust 40

Chapter 4 Transparency in Practice It's Not Just a Buzzword 43

As Clear as You Can Be 44

The Tie That Binds 46

Chapter 5 Hierarchy of Purpose Prioritizing Values 49

Learning Curve 51

Real-Life Practice 58

Putting It All Together 62

The HA Map in Action 63

Section II Building a Great Company Implementing the 5% Rule 67

Chapter 6 Front-Loading Negotiations Know What You Want Going In 71

Stepping In 71

A Question of Price 73

Give Them a Number 75

Asking the Right Questions 76

Trust and Transparency 77

Meet and Greet 78

The 90% 80

The Risks of Skipping the First 5% 81

Final 5% 82

Chapter 7 Why Earn-Outs Are Bad for Acquisitions Make a Clean Break 85

The Value of Predictability 88

Faking Yourself Out 89

Praying for Failure 90

Working Toward Mutual Success 91

Chapter 8 Be a Problem-Solver, Not a Solution Provider Give Them What They Need, Not What They Ask For 93

Problems Before Solutions 94

The Problem with Problems 95

A Real-Life Example 96

First Question: Why? 97

Finding a Solution 98

Chapter 9 Control the Timetable of Disruptions Choose Your Fate 105

An Industry Turned Upside Down 108

Disruption as Freedom 111

Your Early Warning System 112

A Word of Warning About Disruption: Do Not Be Too Clever 113

Thinking Backwards 115

Chapter 10 The Power of Being Different Differentiation as a Key Asset 117

A Singular Advantage 118

Being Different Inside 119

Different Differences 119

The Tiniest Differences 121

A Caveat 123

Balancing Act 123

Chapter 11 Put All Your Eggs in the Fewest Baskets Balance Risks Without Diluting Rewards 127

The Discipline of Choice 128

Lean Basketry 130

Real-Life Eggs and Baskets 131

The Unforeseen Cost 133

Long Road, Hard Wisdom 134

Timing Is Everything 136

Chapter 12 Don't Worry About Leaving Money on the Table Get What You Need, Not What You Want 139

Counting What You Do Not Have 142

Different Tables 144

Know Your Price 147

State What You Want 148

Know When to Stop 148

Chapter 13 Communication Disconnects at the Top Clarity Equals Productivity 151

Babel 152

Clarity Comes First 155

So, How Do You Solve This Problem? 156

Beyond Mean 157

Chapter 14 Primary and Secondary Skills Prepare Careers for the Future 159

Primary School 160

Double Lives 162

Making the Turn 164

The Next Dimension 166

Planning Ahead 168

Section III Maturing a Great Company Create the Next Generation of Leaders 171

Chapter 15 Retention Is Its Own Engine Preserve the Asset of Experience 175

Prodigal Employees 181

Exceptional Times 184

Chapter 16 Golden Interns and Successful Succession Retain Your Best for as Long as Possible 187

Company-Wide Succession 192

Chapter 17 Fair, Fast, and Built to Last The Keys to a Great and Enduring Company 197

5% Throughout the Organization 199

An (Unexpectedly) Universal Rule 200

Trust and The 5% Rule 201

Epilogue 205

Index 207