Sam Walton was sincerely flattered. That question reminds me of the Bennis story of the CEO's dull son who comes home with a report card loaded with D's and F's - all in red ink of course. But it's helpful to have had a strong, determined set of parents . It's also wise to have as wide a set of experiences as possible. One of the flaws of American business is that we have too much vertical mobility.
Managers inch up the same smokestack, learning more and more about less and less.
Figure out what you're good at. Hire only good people who care. Treat them just the way you want to be treated. Switch from macho to maestro. Identify one or two key objectives or directions.