Let’s turn first to the inputs, beginning with the role of discipline. An overarching theme across our research findings is the role of discipline in separating the great from the mediocre. True discipline requires the independence of mind to reject pressures to conform in ways incompatible with values, performance standards, and long-term aspirations. The only legitimate form of discipline is self-discipline, having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult. When you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. When you have disciplined action, you don’t need excessive controls. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you create a powerful mixture that drives great performance.

To build an enduring great organization—whether in business or the social sectors—you need disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and take disciplined action. Then you need the discipline to sustain momentum over a long period of time. This forms the backbone of the framework, laid out in four basic stages:

Stage 1: Disciplined People

Stage 2: Disciplined Thought

Stage 3: Disciplined Action

Stage 4: Building to Last

A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deeply understanding the intersection of the following three circles: (1) what you’re deeply passionate about, (2) what you can be the best in the world at, and (3) what best drives your economic engine. The Hedgehog Concept also reflects the discipline to confront the brutal facts about what you are not passionate about, what you cannot be the best at, and what does not make economic sense.

In Stage 3, you translate disciplined thought into disciplined action, building momentum to achieve a breakthrough and extend performance. There are three key principles in Stage 3:

• Build momentum by turning the Flywheel.

• Achieve breakthrough with 20 Mile March discipline.

• Renew and extend via fire bullets, then cannonballs.

To guide your own thinking in strategy work, you must cultivate three essential skills or habits. First, you must have a variety of tools for fighting your own myopia and for guiding your own attention. Second, you must develop the ability to question your own judgment. If your reasoning cannot withstand a vigorous attack, your strategy cannot be expected to stand in the face of real competition. Third, you must cultivate the habit of making and recording judgments so that you can improve.

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind - Principles of Personal Leadership

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES