In fact, talent is buried throughout your organization. That's the point that Bill Tresham made as he emphasized Trizec's commitment to "Do What We Say We'll Do!" He made it vividly clear that folks delivering service know exactly what needs to be improved. The challenge is to empower them. "You need to impact the organization in all departments at all levels."

John Wallerius of Jones Lang LaSalle preached the same gospel. The three critical success factors are senior management leadership, middle management ownership, and strong program management. You must have all three for new initiatives to succeed. Here's one recent success. Impressively, 98.5% of all Jones Lang LaSalle professionals now track their time, which enables the company to measure the profitability of every client.

Underlying all change is candid communication. "No winking, no blinking." That's the motto of Bob Nardelli, CEO of Home Depot. To reinforce this point, Nardelli visits stores frequently. Each visit is highly structured to reinforce the idea that all levels of the corporation must be fully empowered and equally committed to change. (More Forum reports in future Dispatches.)

--Peter Pike