Companies that change best over time know first and foremost what should not change.
It may seem odd to talk about something as soft and fuzzy as “passion” as an integral part of a strategic framework. But throughout the good-to-great companies, passion became a key part of the Hedgehog Concept.
In determing “the right people,” the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience.
Discipline should amplify creativity rather than stifle it.
Start a ‘Stop Doing’ list. I’ll leave it as an existential dilemma on whether to put that task on your To Do list.
A visionary company doesn’t simply balance between idealism and profitability: it seeks to be highly idealistic and highly profitable.
You need self-control in an out-of-control world.
The greatest danger is not failure, but to be successful and not know why.
We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy.
Some managers are uncomfotable with expressing emotion about their dreams, but it’s the passion and emotion that will attract and motivate others.
Great companies foster a productive tension between continuity and change.
The secret to a successful retirement is to find your retirement sweet spot. The sweet spot is where your passions, what you do best, and what people will pay you to do overlap.
I see the Baldrige process as a powerful set of mechanisms for disciplined people engaged in disciplined thought and taking disciplined action to create great organizations that produce exceptional results.
You absolutely must have the discipline not to hire until you find the right people.
Throw leaders into an extreme environment, and it will separate the stark differences between greatness and mediocrity.
The people who don’t have a great life are the ones who settle for a good one.
How can we do better tomorrow than we did today?
Recruit entrepreneurial leaders and give them freedom to determine the best path to achieving their objectives. On the other hand, individuals must commit fully to the system you use and be held rigorously accountable for their objectives. You give them freedom, but freedom within a framework.
You can’t manufacture passion or “motivate” people to feel passionate. You can only discover what ignites your passion and the passions of those around you.
First figure out your partners, then figure out what ideas to pursue. The most important thing isn’t the market you target, the product you develop or the financing, but the founding team.