"THE DIAMOND PRINCIPLE: The CEO's Common-Sense, Time-Tested 21st Century Guide to Making, Can't-Miss Decisions and Getting Things Done" presents 5 Simple Rules for executive teams to make technology investment decisions for their business that deliver desired results. These rules were developed after 15 years of being called into companies in which decisions executive teams made did not produce the desired outcomes. This is a summary of the book of the same name. Following the guidelines fo the rules will result in decisions, which deliver high value, produce the desired results, and improve competitive advantage.

2. A non-doer is very often a critic—that is, someone
who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes
philosophically about how the doers are doing. It's
easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires
effort, risk, and change.
– Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
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How it Started

4. Whatever we accomplish is due to the combined effort.
The organization must be with you or you don’t get it
done...In my organization there is respect for every
individual, and we all have a keen respect for the public.
– Walt Disney
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6. Get the right people
around the table…
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7. The number one benefit of information technology is that
it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets
people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets
people learn things they didn’t think they could learn
before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.
– Steve Ballmer
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10. My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys
that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check; they
balanced each other. And the total was greater than the
sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by
one person; they are done by a team of people.
– Steve Jobs
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12. Work in “chunks”
Deliver every 90 DAYS
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13. The way a team plays as a whole determines its
success. You may have the greatest bunch of
individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play
together, the club won’t be worth a dime.
– Babe Ruth
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15. To Be Effective Requires Different:
Skills
Positions
Times
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The way to get started is to
quit talking and begin doing.
– Walt Disney

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19. An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that
learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate
competitive advantage.
– Jack Welch
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20. Effective executive teams:
 Listen and learn from customers
and employees
 Take action
 Give Back
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myth #1
As the CEO of my company, I can rely on my CIO to make all
the technology investment decisions for me.
myth #2
We can create a list of what the company needs in terms of
technology and just start implementing that list without
testing.
myth #3
We can buy inexpensive technology that will add value to
our business and our employees will want to use it to
increase their sales.
Avoid the 7 Myths

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myth #5
It is more cost-effective to assess our technology requirements
ourselves than to hire a consulting firm.
myth #6
If I outsource our technology, I will not need technology
resources and someone else will manage the technology.
myth #7
My company is just like all others; therefore, if something
worked for my competitor, it will work the same in my
company.
Avoid the 7 Mythsmyth #4
Our company can wait a while because the cost of technology
continues to come down.

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1. Apply the Five Rules
 Prioritize and Collaborate
 Assess Goals and Timelines
 Understand the 40% Factor
 Right Skills, Right Time
 Develop an Action Plan
2. “3 Legged Stool” – Listen, learn
and Take Action
3. Avoid the 7 Myths