Great Companies Foster A Productive Tension Between

Discipline Should Amplify Creativity Rather Than Stifle It.

Greatness Is Not A Function Of Circumstance. Greatness, It Turns Out, Is Largely A Matter Of Conscious Choice, And Discipline.

Those Fortunate Enough To Find Or Create A Practical Intersection Of The Three Circles Have The Basis For A Great Work Life.

The Best Ceos In Our Research Display Tremendous Ambition For Their Company Combined With The Stoic Will To Do Whatever It Takes, No Matter How Brutal (within The Bounds Of The Company's Core Values), To Make The Company Great. Yet At The Same Time They Display A Remarkable Humility About Themselves, Ascribing Much Of Their Own Success To Luck, Discipline And Preparation Rather Than Personal Genius.

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.