What separates people, Stockdale taught me, is not the presence or absence of difficulty, but how they deal with the inevitable difficulties of life.
First Who... Then What. We expected that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy. We found instead that they first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats – and then they figured out where to drive it. The old adage “People are your most important asset” turns out to be wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are.
The good-to-great companies made a habit of putting their best people on their best opportunities, not their biggest problems. The comparison companies had a penchant for doing just the opposite, failing to grasp the fact that managing your problems can only make you good, whereas building your opportunities is the only way to become great. There is an important.
You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts. The good-to-great companies operated.
Think of the transformation as a process of buildup followed by breakthrough, broken into three broad stages: disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action. Within each of these three stages, there are two key concepts, shown in the framework and described below. Wrapping around this entire framework is a concept we came to call the flywheel, which captures the gestalt of the entire process of going from good to great.
Charisma can be as much a liability as an asset, as the strength of your leadership personality can deter people from bringing you the brutal facts.
There is nothing I find more exciting than picking a question that I don’t know the answer to and embarking on a quest for answers.
Yes, the world is changing, and will continue to do so. But that does not mean we should stop the search for timeless principles. Think of it this way: While the practices of engineering continually evolve and change, the laws of physics remain relatively fixed. I like to think of our work as a search for timeless principles –.
One of the most important steps you can take in building a visionary company is not an action, but a shift in perspective.
We will never give up. We will never capitulate. It might take a long time, but we will find a way to prevail.
You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts. The good-to-great companies operated in accordance with this principle, and the comparison companies generally did not.
Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless. To quickly grasp this concept, think of United States.
A Culture of Discipline. All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline. When you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. When you have disciplined action, you don’t need excessive controls. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great performance. Technology.
The only truly reliable source of stability is a strong inner core and the willingness to change and adapt everything except that core.
Indeed, if there is any one “secret” to an enduring great company, it is the ability to manage continuity and change – a discipline that must be consciously practiced, even by the most visionary of companies.
It is very important to grasp that Level 5 leadership is not just about humility and modesty. It is equally about ferocious resolve, an almost stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done to make the company great. Indeed, we debated for a long time on the.
We find out who they are by asking them why they made decisions in their life. The answers to these questions give us insight into their core values.33.
A key psychology for leading from good to great is the Stockdale Paradox: Retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. UNEXPECTED.
What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?
Victory awaits him who has everything in order – luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.” – Roald Amundsen, The South Pole.