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The number one key to greatness: study the greats
Executive overview
Michael Jackson didn't become great by talent alone. Before recording Off the Wall, he and Quincy Jones systematically studied every number one hit and every great dance performance they could find.
The lesson applies to any founder or leader: sustained excellence comes from deliberate study of those who've already achieved it.
Build on giants — study the best obsessively before you try to surpass them.
What Michael Jackson actually did
- Listened to every number one hit song to extract what worked
- For the Criminal dance, gathered all great dances on tape — Bob Fosse, Flashdance, Fred Astaire, gangster films
- Studied each piece inside out: every cut, move, and musical choice
- Result: four number one hits off a debut solo album, 20 million copies sold
The principle for founders
- Newton: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
- Find your giants — the people who've already solved your problem at scale
- At minimum, build an advisory board; beyond that, study everyone you can
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