Keys To Success #2: Focus

Sounds generic but Pfeffer cites the example of a young LBJ turning down a lucrative oil investment because he knew, down the road, being allied with oil companies could hurt his chance at sitting in the oval office.

He was thinking way ahead and making decisions aligned with his goals.

Successful CEO’s tend to stay in one industry and at one company because energy is not diverted and a strong base is established.

Via Managing With Power: Politics and Influence in Organizations:

In Kotter’s study of 15 successful general managers, he found that they tended to have concentrated their efforts in one industry and in one company. He concluded that general management was not general, and that the particular expertise acquired by concentrating on a narrow range of business issues is helpful in building a power base and in becoming successful. Concentrating your career in a single industry and in one or a very few organizations is also helpful because it means that your energy is not diverted, and your attention is focused on a narrower set of concerns and problems.