The Winning Link: A Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level

“I have spent over 40 years in top level leadership opportunities, and Billy R. Taylor is the absolute best transformational leader I’ve had the privilege to work with. He has proven time and time again the effectiveness of his engaging leadership style, creative management methods, and innovative business strategies in transforming poor performing or underachieving organizations into high achieving, ‘winning’ organizations. If you, as a leader in an organization or of a team, are in search of the ‘master key’ to unlock any door of mystery surrounding lackluster business results; Billy R. Taylor and The Winning Link is definitely that key. You have the opportunity to learn and benefit from real life experiences and real world performance results.”
—Larry Robbins, Retired Plant Manager, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Current Deputy Superintendent of Operations – USD 501

“In Tyler TX, Billy Taylor took over the leadership of a 30-year-old manufacturing facility that was struggling and on the verge of being shuddered. The plant had a reputation for labor/management conflict; was producing a consumer product with a shrinking market demand and was using aging equipment nearing the end of its useful life. Within three years the Tyler plant became the most efficient in the US and Canada with the best labor/management relationship and a reconfigured production layout that resulted in record profits for the facility and the corporation. In the process Billy saved 1000 high skilled jobs and a $22 million tax base for the community.”
—Tom Mullins, Former Chairman of the Minnesota and Texas Economic Development Boards

“The Winning Link takes people on the business success journey by sharing the strategic objective, clarifying expectations, measuring performance, and then having meaningful conversations about how any performance gaps can be addressed. He engages with people through a consistent process that enables them to perform to their best—which creates confidence, goodwill, and a winning formula for all.”
—Malcolm McDowell, Chief Executive Officer, Note Printing Australia Limited, a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia

“When Billy assumed responsibility for my operation, my wife asked, ‘Isn’t it going to be difficult working for one of your best friends?’  I responded, ‘not at all, I just gained the best employee I will ever have.’ Billy is the definition of a resonant leader. As a friend, a peer, and a former member of Billy’s staff, I’ve been a witness to the ‘Winning Link firsthand for close to 20 years. It enables what many leaders fail to achieve, empowerment.”
—Ellis Jones, VP & Chief Sustainability Officer Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

“The Winning Link engages every employee—plant leader to operators—to work on the common purpose to be great. Through mutual respect, setting clear expectations, visible performance tracking, and closed loop accountability, predictable improvement results consistently follow.”
—D. Keith Hamilton, Vice President Operations Georgia-Pacific LLC

“Billy Taylor is one of my most trusted business advisors. He has helped me create a culture of ownership and accountability that has propelled our growth while creating a workplace where our people are empowered to do their best work.”
—Jeffrey Scott Jones, Founder & CEO Consolidus, LLC, 5X Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Business, according to Inc. magazine

“Billy Taylor’s engaging approach to operational alignment by building clarity of ownership, alignment of objectives, and collaboration toward strategic vision through storytelling and easy mnemonic devices make the process improvement journey fun and unthreatening at every level of the organization. As the team moves from ‘No’ to ‘Know’ their areas by defining what is winning and creating clear pathways to achieve its CPI’s by tracking KPA’s and KPI’s, the level of purposeful engagement on the floor increases. My favorite part of the process is how simple it is to implement – you don’t need a doctorate in business to adopt Billy’s approach, just commitment to communicating differently to ensure the strategy is not a secret and then giving operators control of their results through clarity. Billy has helped our team simplify the engagement process and accelerated our journey toward excellence.”
—Ryan Plotkin, President, MD Building Products

“Understanding the delicate balance between people and process gives Billy an edge that most leaders struggle to maintain. The Winning Link is an extremely insightful roadmap to assist business leaders in developing and maintaining this balance in their own operations. When the balance is met, the whole company wins.”
—Jessica Sublett, JD, LLM, Chief Operating Officer, Bounce Innovation

“Billy excels at building a cohesive team, aligning them around a clearly defined target, creating processes that lead to “winning” and making the score visible and obvious. I still use his clarifying concept featured in The Winning Link of ‘Define, Align and Execute’ in strategy planning, in operating reviews and in my daily conversations with my leadership team.”
—Bart Reimer, Vice President of Operations, Charter Steel

“The Winning Link is a hallmark of how to be a highly successful manager. I first encountered Billy Taylor on the campus of Prairie View A&M. I was there to interview management candidates. My initial impression has proven true for 30-plus years. This book features his strategy for leadership, executive charisma, organizational skills, and business and emotional intelligence from his career leading a fortune 5oo North America Operations. The Winning Link is an outstanding work of art. Congratulations, Billy T., and thank you for sharing.”
— Greg Guy, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company