South Africa has all the tools to compete in the new global village - an eager workforce, ready to take on any challenge.
One of the biggest problems of 'In Search of Excellence' is that it focused on giant, publicly-traded companies. There are thousands upon thousands of excellent companies. Some of them are two-person accountancies in a community of three thousand people.
As a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.
We found that the most exciting environments, that treated people very well, are also tough as nails. There is no bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo... excellent companies provide two things simultaneously: tough environments and very supportive environments.
One simply cannot pay tribute to Stephen Covey without saying at the outset that he was a lovely human being.
Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services - from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants - are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz.
My problem is not that I see all 17 sides of any issue, but I'm equally passionate about all 17 sides simultaneously.
I don't want the 35-year-olds in my audience to think of me as as 'pops' giving the kind of advice that only 65-year-olds can understand.
I endorse a lot of people - sometimes people say I endorse too many books. And my response has always been the same: If I can get one case study that can give me one good idea that I can implement for $25, or for these days one-third of that on Kindle, I've gotten a very good deal.
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
Business is about people. It's about passion. It's about bold ideas, bold small ideas or bold large ideas.
I know it sounds crazy, but you've got to let what you're going to do find you, rather than you pursuing it.
Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.
Mastery is great, but even that is not enough. You have to be able to change course without a bead of sweat, or remorse.
The whole secret to our success is being able to con ourselves into believing that we're going to change the world because statistically we are unlikely to do it.