In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins screened 1435 Fortune 500 companies and identified 11 companies that after many years of “good” average market performance, transitioned to a “great” performance, outperforming the market by 7 times (on average) for more than 15 consecutive years. Analyzing these “good to great” companies, Jim Collins provides evidence that a value based leadership is the best investment when you strive for long term exceptional results. Among other findings, the author states that disciplined people, disciplined thoughts and disciplined actions proved to be the alchemy of great results, as well as certain observable behaviors and sets of skills and values. The following chart summarizes his findings.

Source: Jim Collins, Good to Great