Executives spend their careers searching for the holy grail of superior performance, innovation, market leadership and profitability. Many, however, look in the wrong places. Books, for example, might offer some nuggets of advice but don't offer a holistic approach. Many are flawed and based on questionable data that can lead to erroneous conclusions. Worse yet, they give rise to the especially grievous notion that business success follows predictably from implementing a few key steps. Instead, executives should rely on thinking critically, identifying mis-perceptions and delusions and using that insight to create a more acute method of approaching strategic decisions. Look for independent evidence rather than merely accepting ideas. And don't delude yourself into thinking that you can achieve a goal by following a specific set of steps. Following a given formula can't ensure high performance because performance is relative, not absolute. Instead, see the world through probabilities, separate inputs from outcomes, and assess risk soberly.

To get more about the halo effect:
- read the article at McKinsey Quarterly