Call it what you will - debacle, scandal, demise - "Enronitis" has fueled doubts about business antics in Corporate America, and forced a closer look at trust, integrity and the company-employee connection. As big business counts the cost of executive messiahs wooed and hired to deliver stock market-defined miracles, most of us would rather pass on another sensational success story, at least until the wounds from this one heal.

A superstar business culture cannot sustain real growth, says Jeffry Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Business School. "The fact is that great teams and a great system are what make companies thrive. If people come for money, they go for money. So a company that pays top dollar for talent may be putting an emphasis on the wrong values."

What values then, sustain real growth?

Values you don't hear about in most offices and boardrooms, says Dirk Beveridge, popular business speaker and sales system consultant to some of the nation's largest corporations.

Earlier this month Beveridge, who develops "in-house" talent into skilled, results-focused teams, exhorted Time-Warner sales managers to boldly put love, education and opportunity on display in the workplace. Excellence, he says, demands it.

Excellence demands love. Nothing sappy here as Beveridge puts a professional face on compassion, calling sales managers to identify, then satisfy the needs of their sales reps. "View management as a chance to help people reach their dreams," he challenges, "Demonstrate commitment that transcends both your job description and corporate mission."

Excellence demands education. This goes beyond checking out which degree appears on an applicant's resume. Companies that grow leaders "design, develop and implement their own defined process for continual personal and professional development."

Excellence demands opportunity. Businesses that see sustained growth know the formula, says Beveridge, "Growth = progression opportunities + security + recognition+ challenge + compensation." A forum for employees to display their abilities in a meaningful way contributes both to employee security and business profitability.

Joshua Mach, executive editor of Business 2.0, verifies the timeliness and relevance of Beveridge's message, "As the economy slows, companies are finally realizing that cultivating leaders from within makes sense." Mach cites the recent onslaught of new books on business leadership that "favor ordinary individuals who toil away together to accomplish extraordinary management feats." Mach's conclusion? "You simply don't need superstars to create a great management team."

Nor does Time Warner need a magic wand to create an excellent sales force, contends Beveridge, who puts the ideal of excellence into "do-able" terms. Excellence in sales demands disciplined and intentional cultivation of four qualities that contribute to real growth:

• Courage - "Determine that the thing can and should be done, then find a way to do it."



• Consciousness of one's strengths and weaknesses - "Evaluate where you are today, and where you need to be."



• Commitment - "Make things happen," says Beveridge, who preaches that goals should be mandatory.



• Character - "Do what is right, rather than what is easy."