James Collins is a student and teacher of leadership and what makes great companies tick. Having invested a quarter century of research into the topic, he has authored or coauthored six books that have sold in total more than 10 million copies worldwide.Driven by a relentless curiosity, Jim began his research and teaching career on the faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he conducts research and engages in Socratic dialogue with CEOs and senior leadership teams. In addition to his work in the business sector, James has a passion for learning and teaching in the social sectors, including education, health care, government, faith-based organizations, social ventures, and cause-driven nonprofits. In 2012 and 2013, he had the honor to serve a two-year appointment as the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point.James holds a bachelor's degree in mathematical sciences and an MBA from Stanford University, and honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. He is an avid rock climber, with one-day ascents of the north face of Half Dome and the 3,000-foot south face of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
William C. Lazier was the Nancy and Charles Munger Professor of Business, Emeritus, at Stanford Law School. He graduated from Stanford in 1957 with a master's in business administration. Lazier returned there in 1982 to lecture at the Graduate School of Business, where he taught management of smaller companies and real estate for the next 11 years. He served on the boards of numerous corporations and organizations, including Diamond Rentals, American Security Products, Yes Reading, BUILD, Interplast, SCRMA, and the Stanford Bookstore. Lazier passed away in 2005 at the age of 73.