That is pretty heady company, and while I am proud of my achievements over the course of my career, this recognition caused me to take a close look within myself to see how I had come to be included in the company of these 99 other leaders, trailblazers, innovators, mavericks, and prophets.

Trying to be objective, I focused on my core beliefs that not only does "shift" happen, not only that change is good, but that change is better. Better Change, in all of its forms, helps us to reconstruct attitudes, our businesses, ourselves.

I use the term "reconstruct", instead of "remodel", for a good reason. Remodeling requires using the existing framework and components. What results is something that looks new and different on the outside, but is really just the same old thing freshened up. As important, it often can take longer to "freshen up" than it takes to reconstruct.

Think about it! One of today's more popular TV shows is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They tear down an entire house and rebuild it in a week. Remodeling a bathroom or kitchen can take months, sometimes years. Why is it faster to tear down and start fresh? Because once you tear it down you can focus on results without having to deal with and correct the existing mistakes.

You do not need to look far to see two examples of Better Change and reconstruction, one where the need was recognized and one where it is being ignored.

Motorola invented and introduced the first cellular phone in 1973. They looked at telephony and reconstructed it. Today, nearly everyone has a cell phone, and they do more than just send and receive phone calls. You can get your news, take and send photos, read email and send text messages using a handheld device a fraction of the size of Motorola's original 2.5-pound Dyna-Tac.

Motorola innovated technology and dominated the cell phone market. Butt that lasted only so long. As cell phones moved from curiosity to commodity, customers wanted more than just technology, and Motorola was not delivering the goods. Motorola saw that it Better Change, and they did it by reconstructing, not remodeling.

Motorola's Razr is the cutting edge of cell phones from a company that lost sight and market share in one of the most competitive of product environments. Motorola regained its leadership not by focusing on technology, but on style. The Razr has a hip, eye-catching design that consumers love, because Motorola recognized that consumers are as much - or more - interested in style as they are in technology.

In less than a year Motorola has sold over one million Razrs. Now that's Better Change.

The major airlines, on the other hand, continue to make so many blunders, we can't help but we can't help but wonder who is in charge of the lunacy. They are in need of an extreme Extreme Makeover.

In the last few weeks I have found myself in Mexico, the West Coast and the East Coast. At U.S. airports, when I check in at the curb, Skycaps pick up the bag as if trained to "guess the weight" like a carnival performer. If the weight is over 50 pounds - even if by only one or two pounds - they are instructed to collect $25. If I remind them that the baggage allowance is 100 pounds per passenger, I am rebuked and told that the limit is 50 pounds per bag.

If I ask why the per-bag limited went from 70 pounds to 50 pounds, I am told that it is because the extra weight makes it more difficult for the baggage handlers. . .and that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), not the airlines requires the payment. Yet when I fly outside of the U.S., the per bag weight limit is once again 70 pounds. I guess our foreign bag handlers are stronger? Better Change.

Go beyond the Skycaps to airline management, and the story changes, and not in a "better" way. Now, it is not TSA that requires the extra fees, but the fact that extra weight costs extra fuel. While I would readily accept that explanation, it does not compute that I have a 100-pound allowance that must be divided into no more than 50 pounds per bag. So if one is 48 pounds and the other is 52 pounds I am still asked to either pay the $25 or move two pounds to the other bag. Better Change.

The major airlines continually forget that passengers are paying customers. They are reasonable, rational, and real. Give them a reasonable explanation, and they generally will accept it and move on. Give them conflicting, contradicting and downright loony explanations, and they will go away and tell others to stay away.

The major airlines continue to suffer because they continue to remodel when they need to reconstruct. They tweak where they need to change. They make customers work harder, instead of making air travel easier. They Better Change, work to learn what is important to their customers, and start delivering it.

That is what Southwest did, and they continue to grow. That is what Motorola did, and they reclaimed a leadership position they had lost. That is what we all must do to succeed.

To effect Better Change for yourself and your organization, here are my tips:

• Everything takes time...everything. Better Change requires us first to understand that, and they to respond with both determination and patience.
• All of us have the same amount of time in a day, week, month, and year. Better Change takes the self-discipline to use that time effectively.
• To Better Change effectively, we must consistently measure what we value and provide feedback.
• Better Change requires positive recognition - for everyone. Offering it as soon as possible after positive behavior is witnessed, reinforces that positive behavior - absolutely, every time.
• Negative consequences to negative behavior seldom produce positive changes. Better Change by identifying the behavior and working with the individual to correct it. But do not punish it.
• Confrontation is difficult, but it can be productive. And it is often necessary, if the goal is to create a Better Change
• Do not be afraid to make mistakes, but be prepared to learn from them. The result will be Better Change.
• Do not just use someone else's idea, make it better. And don't forget that you are using someone else's idea. Credit it when you use it to create Better Change