Learning is a matter of intensity not elapsed time.

The 10 or 12 artists I have known really well all my life are at least as competitive as professional athletes. They may express it in slightly different terms, but you look at the Jackson Pollocks et al., and they are as interested in wall space in the galleries as Joe Montana is in the percentage of completed passes. So the notion that symphonic conducting, or stage play, or pure art, is not a competitive business is real bullshit.

The selfish leader will attempt to lead others for their own gain and for the detriment of others.

In McKinsey's world, all of life is one of two things: strategy or organization.

'In Search of Excellence' - even the title - is a reminder that business isn't dry, dreary, boring, or by the numbers. Life at work can be cool - and work that's cool isn't confined to Tiger Woods, Yo-Yo Ma, or Tom Hanks. It's available to all of us and any of us.

How do you humiliate and demean someone and then expect him or her to care about product quality.

Even a poor, out-of-datecollection reflects in its own way the values of the people who created it and the community it serves.