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You Must Ask, "what Do We Mean By Great Results?" Your Goals Don't Have To Be Quantifiable, But They Do Have To Be Describable. Some Leaders Try To Insist, "the Only Acceptable Goals Are Measurable," But That's Actually An Undisciplined Statement. Lots Of Goals-beauty, Quality, Life Change, Love-are Worthy But Not Quantifiable. But You Do Have To Be Able To Tell If You're Making Progress.

-James C. Collins

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You Must Ask, "what

James C. Collins

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You Must Ask, "what Do We Mean By Great Results?" Your Goals Don't Have To Be Quantifiable, But They Do Have To Be Describable. Some Leaders Try To Insist, "the Only Acceptable Goals Are Measurable," But That's Actually An Undisciplined Statement. Lots Of Goals-beauty, Quality, Life Change, Love-are Worthy But Not Quantifiable. But You Do Have To Be Able To Tell If You're Making Progress.

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You Absolutely Must Have The Discipline Not To Hire Until You Find The Right People.

It Is More Important To Know Who You Are Than Where You Are Going, For Where You Are Going Will Change As The World Around You Changes.

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Good Is The Enemy Of Great.. The Vast Majority Of Good Companies Remain Just That - Good, But Not Great.

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Don't Be Interesting - Be Interested.

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Good Is The Enemy Of Great. And That's One Of The Key Reasons Why We Have So Little That Becomes Great.

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Building A Visionary Company Requires One Percent Vision And 99 Percent Alignment.

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.

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. Perhaps, Then You Might Gain That Great Tranquility That Comes From Knowing That You've Had A Hand In Creating Something Of Intrinsic Excellence That Makes A Contribution. Indeed, You Might Even Gain That Deepest Of All Satisfactions: Knowing That Your Short Time On This Earth Has Been Well Spent, And That It Mattered.

We Are Not Imprisoned By Circumstances, Setbacks, Mistakes Or Staggering Defeats, We Are Freed By Our Choices.

Discipline Is Consistency Of Action.

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.

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Good Is The Enemy Of Great. That's Why So Few Things Become Great.

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The Signature Of Mediocrity Is Chronic Inconsistency.

The Only Way To Remain Great Is To Keep On Applying The Fundamental Principles That Made You Great.

People Are Not Your Most Important Asset....the Right People Are.

Those Who Build Great Companies Understand That The Ultimate Throttle On Growth For Any Great Company Is Not Markets, Or Technology, Or Competition, Or Products. It Is One Thing Above All Others: The Ability To Get And Keep Enough Of The Right People.

A Visionary Company Doesn't Simply Balance Between Idealism And Profitability: It Seeks To Be Highly Idealistic And Highly Profitable.

Some Managers Are Uncomfotable With Expressing Emotion About Their Dreams, But It's The Passion And Emotion That Will Attract And Motivate Others.

The Signature Of Mediocrity Is Chronic Inconstancy. The Signature Of Greatness Is A Disciplined And Consistent Focus On The Right Things.

If Your Company Disappeared, Would It Leave A Gaping Hole That Could Not Easily Be Filled By Any Other Enterprise On The Planet?

A Company Should Limit Its Growth Based On Its Ability To Attract Enough Of The Right People.

Discipline Should Amplify Creativity Rather Than Stifle It.

Bad Decisions Made With Good Intentions, Are Still Bad Decisions.

Good Intentions

I've Never Found An Important Decision Made By A Great Organization That Was Made At A Point Of Unanimity. Significant Decisions Carry Risks And Inevitably Some Will Oppose It. In These Settings, The Great Legislative Leader Must Be Artful In Handling Uncomfortable Decisions, And This Requires Rigor.

The Only Mistakes You Can Learn From Are The Ones You Survive.

Not All Time In Life Is Equal. How Many Opportunities Do You Get To Talk About What Your Life Is Going To Add Up To With People Thinking About The Same Question?

That Good Is The Enemy Of Great Is Not Just A Business Problem. It Is A Human Problem.

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