For no matter what we achieve, if we don't spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect, we cannot possibly have a great life. But if we spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect - people we really enjoy being on the bus with and who will never disappoint us - then we will almost certainly have a great life, no matter where the bus goes. The people we interviewed from the good-to-great companies clearly loved what they did, largely because they loved who they did it with.

Those fortunate enough to find or create a practical intersection of the three circles have the basis for a great work life.

Creative leadership impact increases in your 50's. When I turn 50 I want to say, "Nice start!"

Focusing solely on what you can potentially do better than any other organization is the only path to greatness.

The critical question is not whether you'll have luck, but what you do with the luck that you get.

In a world of constant change, the fundamentals are more important than ever.

If I were running a company today, I would have one priority above all others: to acquire as many of the best people as I could. I'd put off everything else to fill my bus. Because things are going to come back. My flywheel is going to start to turn. And the single biggest constraint on the success of my organization is the ability to get and to hang on to enough of the right people.