5. What's Our 20-Mile March?

Successful companies determine their growth by what they do rather than what's happening in the broader world, according to Collins.

"The environment doesn't determine our pace," Collins said. "We determine self-control in a world out of control." 

Consistency and fanatic discipline are some of the best indicators that a company is strong. Conversely, companies that allow their pace to be determined by outside conditions tend to be utterly erratic, Collins said.

"The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency," he said.