What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence

by Stephen A. Schwarzman

But I’ve always believed that it’s just as hard to achieve big goals as it is small ones. The only difference is that bigger goals have much more significant consequences. Since you can tackle only one personally defining effort at a time, it’s important to pursue a goal that is truly worthy of the focus it will require to ensure its success.

When people ask me how I succeed, my basic answer is always the same: I see a unique opportunity, and I go for it with everything I have. And I never give up.

if you’re going to commit yourself to something, it’s as easy to

do something big as it is to do something small. Both will consume your time and energy, so make sure your fantasy is worthy of your pursuit, with rewards commensurate to your effort.

had told me I could do anything to which I set my mind. At some point in life, we have to figure out who we are, he said.

The sooner we do it the better, so we can pursue the opportunities that are right for us, not some false dream created by others.

No matter how successful, smart, or brave you are, you can always end up in a tough place. People often think theirs is the

For a business to succeed, each part has to work on its own and with all the other parts. It’s a closed,

integrated system, organized by managers.

Being a strong and accurate assessor of talent is perhaps one of the most critical skills required of any entrepreneur.

rely on a combination of verbal and nonverbal cues, looking to see how a candidate reacts to my attempts to engage. I don’t have a set formula, but in every case, my goal is to get into candidates’ heads to assess how they think, who they are,