Your company is turning in regular profits every year, and its market share is only getting bigger. Competitors can't touch you. So why is your stock price so sluggish? The answer is as simple as it is cruel: investors aren't interested in history, and they already know you're profitable and competitive--that knowledge is baked into your stock price.

The hard reality is that a competitive advantage just isn't enough. Investors want companies to surprise them with unexpected value, which means that you can outperform market expectations only if you as a leader know how to find, create, and...