In order to gain the best ingredients for a successful organization, you must be disciplined about whom you hire, promote, and reward. There are no exceptions, no company can be successful when it settles for second best. Successful leaders are, in the words of Jim Collins, those who get,"the right people on the bus."

Bob Matthews, the founder of Cable Data, one of the world's largest billing companies, was ahead of his time in thinking about how to find the right ingredients. He used his unique talent for seeing someone's abilities to move people into new roles that bring out their strengths.

"Most people aren't trained in ways that match their natural abilities," he said. "One's natural gifts have greater significance than their resume." He recruited a number of people who were successful in an array of fields - a Yoga instructor, a jewelry maker, a software marketer - and brought them into leadership roles.

In order to avoid routinization, Bob altered people's roles frequently. Bob knew that you get the most out of people when they are learning, not when they're following a routine. So every three years or so, he'd give people a new role. "I think it's important for people to get uncomfortable again," he said. The goal is to persistently challenge people to gain knowledge and apply their most excellent ideas."

Bob was committed to placing women in senior management roles. He believed that women were, by their natures, more likely to check their egos at the door and work collaboratively. Many women have attained thriving careers, a testament to Bob's vision. A number of these women continued on to lead Fortune 500 companies.