Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz

General David Petraeus is one of those leaders who rose through the ranks to become one of the most well-known military figures of our time. Growing up in the shadow of West Point, General Petraeus defied the odds in a career where becoming a four-star general is nearly as unlikely as being struck by lightning.

Petraeus’s rise to prominence began in 2003, but it was in 2007, as the commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq, where he made his mark by leading the controversial but pivotal “surge.” He later commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan during one of the deadliest periods for U.S. troops, before transitioning to a new chapter as the Director of the CIA under President Obama.

In this encore episode, General Petraeus shares his insights on leadership, revealing that the key to success lies in “getting the big ideas right,” refining them, and ensuring they’re communicated effectively across an entire organization.

Jim Collins is one of the most influential business thinkers and writers of our time. Yet, Collins considers himself more of a researcher than an author.He has made a career of extracting the data embedded in the narrative arcs of companies and drawing lessons from them. With bestsellers like Good to Great, Built to Last, and BE 2.0, each of his books represents years of meticulous analysis, all before he even begins to write. What sets Collins apart aren't just his groundbreaking ideas but the unconventional choices that shaped his career. In this interview from 2021, Collins unpacks insights from his research, among them: the fact that ideas don't matter as much as people think they do. In fact, he found a negative correlation between starting a business with a great idea and creating a successful and enduring company. The key lies in "clock building" rather than "time telling," that is—creating a system and structure that transcend any one innovation or product. (He uses examples like Sony, which began with a failed rice cooker). Another side to this concept can be summed up with "preserve the core, stimulate progress." When leaders maintain what is core to the company, they can continually evolve their strategies and other aspects and build companies that last.