A master class in achieving and sustaining excellence, even in the most challenging of times—from the host of The Learning Leader Show and author of Welcome to Management Millions of business professionals aspire to become effective leaders. But for hardworking, growth-oriented top performers who are always looking to improve and for rigorous thinkers who are never quite satisfied with the status quo, the true goal is the lifelong pursuit of excellence. Leadership advisor Ryan Hawk has interviewed hundreds of the most productive achievers in the world on his acclaimed podcast, The Learning Leader Show, to discover the best practices for pursuing and sustaining excellence. He found a pattern of uncommon behaviors that set these stellar individuals apart. By following their examples, you will learn how to: Commit to yourself and the process―and build purpose, focus, and discipline Develop resilience to face new challenges―and find inspiration for the long haul Seek guidance―and lead others to new heights Meet the moment―and make the most of every opportunity to excel Create a trusted group of advisors―and become a lifelong learner Packed with specific actions to take, experiments to run, and tools to analyze what works best for you, this uncompromisingly practical guide will inspire, challenge, support, and empower you to become your very best. Put mindsets into action and turn behaviors into habits with The Pursuit of Excellence.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Blackstone chairman, CEO, and co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman, a long-awaited book that uses impactful episodes from Schwarzman's life to show readers how to build, transform, and lead thriving organizations. Whether you are a student, entrepreneur, philanthropist, executive, or simply someone looking for ways to maximize your potential, the same lessons apply. People know who Stephen Schwarzman is—at least they think they do. He’s the man who took $400,000 and co-founded Blackstone, the investment firm that manages over $500 billion (as of January 2019). He’s the CEO whose views are sought by heads of state. He’s the billionaire philanthropist who founded Schwarzman Scholars, this century’s version of the Rhodes Scholarship, in China. But behind these achievements is a man who has spent his life learning and reflecting on what it takes to achieve excellence, make an impact, and live a life of consequence. Folding handkerchiefs in his father’s linen shop, Schwarzman dreamed of a larger life, filled with purpose and adventure. His grades and athleticism got him into Yale. After starting his career in finance with a short stint at a financial firm called DLJ, Schwarzman began working at Lehman Brothers where he ascended to run the mergers and acquisitions practice. He eventually partnered with his mentor and friend Pete Peterson to found Blackstone, vowing to create a new and different kind of financial institution. Building Blackstone into the leading global financial institution it is today didn’t come easy. Schwarzman focused intensely on culture, hiring great talent, and establishing processes that allow the firm to systematically analyze and evaluate risk. Schwarzman’s simple mantra “don’t lose money” has helped Blackstone become a leading private equity and real estate investor, and manager of alternative assets for institutional investors globally. Both he and the firm are known for the rigor of their investment process, their innovative approach to deal making, the diversification of their business lines, and a conviction to be the best at everything they do. Schwarzman is also an active philanthropist, having given away more than a billion dollars. In philanthropy, as in business, he is drawn to situations where his capital and energy can be applied to drive transformative solutions and change paradigms, notably in education. He uses the skills learned over a lifetime in finance to design, establish, and support impactful and innovative organizations and initiatives. His gifts have ranged from creating a new College of Computing at MIT for the study of artificial intelligence, to establishing a first-of-its-kind student and performing arts center at Yale, to enabling the renovation of the iconic New York Public Library, to founding the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship program at Tsinghua University in Beijing—the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history from international donors. Schwarzman’s story is an empowering, entertaining, and informative guide for anyone striving for greater personal impact. From deal making to investing, leadership to entrepreneurship, philanthropy to diplomacy, Schwarzman has lessons for how to think about ambition and scale, risk and opportunities, and how to achieve success through the relentless pursuit of excellence. Schwarzman not only offers readers a thoughtful reflection on all his own experiences, but in doing so provides a practical blueprint for success.

If philosophy addresses concrete ethical challenges, then what shifts in basic concepts must be made to the discipline in the darkness of our genocidal world? What anti-genocidal strains are in Western philosophy? Are we “really” rejects and/ or “still of intrinsic worth” when we fail our excellence tests? How are we represented and how do we participate in representations? Are representational forms historical in origin and development? Is genocide indissolubly linked to our degradation and destruction of animals? Can one slaughter and eat one's partners in a social bond? If so, what does this tell us about the socio-political world we have formed? Is there a deep center—metacide—in our culture from which genocide receives its impulse? These are some of the pivotal questions addressed in the thirteen thought-provoking essays of this volume.

The West Linn School District -- District Context -- Three Key Leadership Functions -- Transformational Leadership -- The Development and Nurturing of Shared Community Vision -- The Development and Nurturing of an Ethic of Continuous Improvement -- The Development and -- Nurturing of the Organization's Commitment to Productive and Ethical Human Relations -- Quaker Theology: As a Belief System and a Metaphor -- Making a Virtue Out of a Necessity: The Beginnings of the People Strategy -- The People Strategy for School Improvement -- Supervising the Probationary Teacher -- Annual Celebration of Excellence -- Hiring the Very Best -- The Eye of the Proprietor -- Faculty Recruitment/Selection at West Linn High School -- Reflection Questions: Hiring the Very Best -- Making Continuous Professional Learning an Organizational Norm -- Professional Development and the People Strategy -- Professional Development Strategy #1: Budgeted Building and District Funds -- Professional Development Strategy #2: Professional Growth Planning -- Professional Development Strategy #3: Tuition Reimbursement -- Professional Development Strategy #4: Cooperative Master's Program -- Professional Development Strategy #5: Professional Development Fund -- Leading Through Limited Partnerships -- Reflection Questions: Making Continuous Professional Learning an Organizational Norm -- Providing Responsive Developmental Supervision -- Four Key Concepts Governing Supervision -- Supervision When Professionals Are Having Problems -- A Veteran Teacher Struggling With Classroom Management -- Reflection Questions: Providing Responsive Developmental Supervision -- Differentiated Supervision: Evaluation Outside the Box -- Supervision and Evaluation at West Linn High School -- When is Traditional Evaluation Necessary? -- The Proposal for a Differentiated Supervision System -- Reflection Questions: Differentiated Supervision -- The Extended Shadow of the Leader -- An Outside Superintendent -- Example #1: Assigning Students to Classrooms at Cedaroak Park Elementary School -- A Keen Eye for Talent -- Example #2: Multiage Classrooms at Boeckman Creek Elementary School -- Reflection Questions: The Extended Shadow of Leadership -- The Acceptance of Uncertainty -- Scientific Management and Proven Practices -- Feigning Certainty -- Choosing a District-Wide Computing Platform -- Providing Developmentally Appropriate Education at Willamette Elementary School -- Uncertainty and School Culture -- Reflection Questions: Acceptance of Uncertainty -- Hubris: An Ever Present Concern -- The "Worrier in Chief"--The Political Context of Public Schools -- Owning Up To Flaws -- The High School Annual Report: Warts and All -- The Gang of 1,000 -- Reflection Questions: Keeping Hubris at Bay.