When you’re a manager, you’re no longer just responsible for the work. You’re responsible for human beings. And while that seems obvious—yes, that’s the whole point of the job—it’s a difficult thing to grapple with when all of a sudden eighty people are looking at you, expecting you to know how to lead them.

None of this is complicated (except strategy): It just requires some discipline and perseverance. Treat our tools as you would Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Fill in what you know as you go. Again, it’s not necessary to work through the tools in any kind of sequence. Start where it makes the most sense for your organization. “Get it down; then get it right” is one of our mottos.

Having one person who is explicitly keeping an eye on a particular future event increases the likelihood that whatever knowledge is in the organization has somewhere to go and will be seen holistically. And remember to incorporate feedback from people who may not be sitting in the executive suite. Go back to the periphery for information and insights about these events.

New leaders tend to want to focus on the problem areas and figure out how to solve them. That’s commendable, but not if it comes at the expense of sustaining your success in existing areas of strength. Dan Kelperman, who skillfully avoided that trap after joining Kodak, offers some helpful advice: “If you come in and discover that one of your growth businesses is struggling, give it big-time attention. But don’t ignore your cash cow, which may also be struggling. The key is to keep all the plates spinning simultaneously. In other words, devote ample time to all the key businesses to ensure greater success.”

The same warning applies to people. It’s natural to concentrate on getting your bottom people up or out, but you must remember to focus on retaining, motivating, and developing your top people, too. Spend as much time on your winners as on your problem children.

Focus on opportunities

Good executives focus on opportunities rather than problems. Problems have to be taken care of, of course; they must not be swept under the rug. But problem solving, however necessary, does not produce results. It prevents damage. Exploring opportunities produces results.