Monica Luechtefeld Makes the Net Click

To get his executive team in closer touch with the company's far-flung retail empire, Nelson instituted a program that would send managers -- including the CEO himself -- to work in the stores one day per quarter. The insights from that program are shared in Monday-morning executive meetings and used to make improvements in everything from the company's Web site to its sales-force training. The first year that Nelson staffed the stores, he got an earful of complaints. "People told me that this wasn't the most compelling place to work," he says. Two years later, the reviews are more positive, and he spends his tour of duty picking up on ideas for running the stores -- and the company -- better. "People tell me things that are important to them that I never would have thought about," he says.

Meanwhile, other top executives have discovered their inner sales associate. Last year during his stint in the field, Robert Keller, president of business services, helped an elderly customer buy a lamp. At the end of the sale, she turned around and asked him, "How long have you been working in this store?" "Actually, ma'am," he said, "this is my first day." "Well," she said, "you're getting a pretty late start in life on this. But I think you've got a career in sales."

Linda Tischler (ltischler@fastcompany. com) is a Fast Company senior writer. Contact Monica Luechtefeld by email (mluechtefeld@officedepot.com).