A Culture of Discipline

“Freedom is only part of the story and half the truth…”

Viktor E. Frankl

Looking inside good-to-great companies there is a

culture around the idea
of freedom and responsibility, within a framework

Statue of Responsibility
Statue of Liberty
 Relentless Culture of Discipline
Initially discipline was not a distinguishing variable – not
considered a finding by Collins – after more analysis S
Approach to discipline – Pattern in unsustained -rise and t
decline Level 4 leaders singularly disciplined leaders who a
personally disciplined through sheer force Iacocca, Stanley t
Gault – Rubbermaid- disciplined action without disciplined u
understanding of the 3 circles cannot produce great results e

o
f

L
i
b
DISCIPLINED e
who DISCIPLINED DISCIPLINED
who r
People engage Thought Action t
take
in y
Three Circles of the Hedgehog
Concept

What are you deeply

passionate about?

What
drives your
economic
engine?
Inputs – Outputs
Abbott supported the idea of freedom so individuals
can determine the best paths to achieve their
objectives, BUT people were rigorously accountable
for achieving their objectives

 Set your objectives for the year ( in concrete) separate inputs from
outputs, and hold yourself accountable for progress in outputs, even if
those outputs defy measurement
 You can change your plans through the year, but you never change what
you measure yourself against
 You are rigorous at the end of the year, adhering to exactly what you said
was going to happen- no editorializing, no readjusting your objectives to
look better
 You never focus on what was accomplished for the year; you focus on what
you accomplished relative to exactly what you said you were going to
accomplish – no matter how tough the measure.
 IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU CAN QUANTIFY RESULTS-ASSEMBLE EVIDENCE
TO TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
 Everything is flawed; use a consistent and intelligent method of assessing
output results
Fill the culture with self-disciplined people –
administrators and staff -who believe in the system
and will do whatever is necessary to make the
system work and to fulfill their responsibilities-
People who will “rinse their cottage cheese”
 Dave Scott, a world-class athlete won the
Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon six times -in training
he would rinse his cottage cheese to get any
extra fat off- superdiscipline
 Do what it takes to be the best within carefully
selected arenas and then seek continued
improvement.
 You have to figure out what they CAN be the
best at and the will to do whatever it takes to
turn that potential into reality
Do you have a “ stop doing” list?
“Stop doing” lists are more important than “to do” lists
It takes remarkable courage to channel resources into
only one or a few arenas

Once you know the right thing will you do the right thing?
CAN you do the right thing?
And stop doing the wrong thing?

The purpose of budgeting in a good-to-great company is

not to decide how much each activity gets, but to decide
which arenas best fit with the Hedgehog Concept and
should be fully funded and which should not be funded at
all.
 Questions to think about
 If all decisions must be framed in the context of
the H concept (What are we passionate about?
What can we be best at? What drives our
economic engine?)
 What is CSH passionate about?
 Can teachers translate the H concept of our district?
 Do the families that live in CSH share the commitment
or are they are enjoying the work of those who came
before them?
 What does CSH stand for? What is CSH’s unique
contribution to the people in our community?
 Are disciplined, responsible people just other
names for workaholics?