Enduring great institutions practice the principle of Preserve the Core and Stimulate Progress, separating core values and fundamental purpose (which should never change) from mere operating practices, cultural norms and business strategies (which endlessly adapt to a changing world).

the practice of leadership is not the same as the exercise of power.

Now, consider a question: What if the people at Southwest had said, “Hey, we can’t do anything great until we fix the systemic constraints facing the airline industry”? I’ve conducted a large number of Socratic teaching sessions in the social sectors, and I’ve encountered an interesting dynamic: people often obsess on systemic constraints.

whatever you can to get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people into the right seats.

themselves to mission. The right people can often attract money, but money by itself can never attract the right people. Money is a commodity; talent is not. Time and talent can often compensate for lack of money, but money cannot ever compensate for lack of the right people.

GOOD-TO-GREAT…

Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.

What can you do today to create a pocket of greatness, despite the brutal facts of your environment?

Yet a finding from our research is instructive: the key variable is not how (or how much) you pay, but who you have on the bus. The comparison companies in our research—those that failed to become great—placed greater emphasis on using incentives to “motivate” otherwise unmotivated or undisciplined people. The great companies, in contrast, focused

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.