The purpose of bureaucracy is to compensate for incompetence and lack of discipline.
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.
Good is the enemy of great. And that's one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.
Great vision without great people is irrelevant.
Bad decisions made with good intentions, are still bad decisions.
A culture of discipline is not a principle of business, it is a principle of greatness.
Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.
Consider the idea that charisma can be as much a liability as an asset. Your strength of personality can sow the seeds of problems, when people filter the brutal facts from you.
Mediocrity results first and foremost from management failure, not technological failure.
Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. It's not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious-but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.
Indeed, the real question is not, "Why greatness?" but "What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?" if you have to ask the question, "Why should we try to make it great? Isn't success enough?" then you're probably int he wrong line of work.
It occurs to me,Jim,that you spend too much time trying to be interesting. Why don't you invest more time being interested?" Collin's advice from John Gardner that he took to heart.
People are not your most important asset....the right people are.
Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless.
You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats...
Managing your problems can only make you good, whereas building your opportunities is the only way to become great.
The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake. The best people don't need to be managed. Guided, taught, led-yes. But not tightly managed.
I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.
or simply:
