8. Are You A Clock Builder Or A Time Teller?

Great leaders shift from being time tellers – a genius with 1,000 helpers – to building organizations that would continue being great even without the current leadership, Collins said. 

"If your company cannot be great without you, it is not yet a great company," Collins said.

Great companies also pay attention to building a culture in which people want to help one another.

"The height of uncool is to not help each other," Collins said. "We succeed at our best only when we help each other succeed."