Business advice from Marvin Bower, McKinsey’s chief architect.

1. Put the client’s interests first and separate yourself from the job.
2. Be consistent yet open-minded.
3. Center problem solving on the facts and on the front line.
4. View problems and decisions in the context of the whole and in terms of the immediate actions to be taken.
5. Inspire and require people to be their best.
6. Communicate the values of the company over and over again to ensure that people in the firm will understand them, embrace them, and translate them into action.