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Comparison, a great teacher once told me, is the cardinal sin of modern life. It traps us in a game that we can't win. Once we define ourselves in terms of others, we lose the freedom to shape our own lives.

James C. Collins

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James C. Collins
Age: 66
Born: 1958
Born: January 25
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True leadership has people who follow when they have the freedom not to.
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Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
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To have a Welch-caliber C.E.O. is impressive.To have a century of Welch-Caliber C.E.O.'s all grown from the inside - well, that is one key reason why G.E. is a visionary company.
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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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In a truly great company profits and cash flow become like blood and water to a healthy body: They are absolutely essential for life but they are not the very point of life
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By definition, it is not possible to everyone to be above the average.
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Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless.
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It's what you do before you are in trouble, so that you can be strong when people most need you.
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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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A great company will have many once-in-a-liftetime opportunities.
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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.
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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.
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How can you succeed by helping others succeed? We succeed at our very best only when we help others succeed.
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It occurs to me,Jim,that you spend too much time trying to be interesting. Why don't you invest more time being interested? Collin's advice from John Gardner that he took to heart.
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Don't take care of your career. Take care of your people. They will take care of your career.
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We are not imprisoned by circumstances, setbacks, mistakes or staggering defeats, we are freed by our choices.
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If you have a charismatic cause you don't need to be a charismatic leader.
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