What It Takes

'This story literally has what it takes: the anecdotes, the insights and, most of all, the values to guide the next generation of entrepreneurs' – **Mark Carney Blackstone chairman, CEO and co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman shows readers how to build, transform and lead thriving organisations.** Stephen Schwarzman took $400,000 and cofounded Blackstone, the investment firm that manages over $500 billion and invests in hundreds of companies globally. He’s the CEO whose views are sought by heads of state around the world and supports universities with funding for cutting edge research and technology. But behind these accomplishments is a man who has spent his life learning and reflecting on what it takes to achieve excellence, make an impact and live a life of consequence. Schwarzman’s story is an empowering, entertaining and informative guide for anyone striving for greater personal impact. From deal-making to investing, leadership to entrepreneurship, philanthropy to diplomacy, Schwarzman has lessons for how to achieve success through the relentless pursuit of excellence. His gifts have ranged from creating a new College of Computing at MIT for the study of artificial intelligence, to establishing a first-of-its-kind student and performing arts centre at Yale, to founding the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship programme at Tsinghua University in Beijing – the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history from international donors. From deal-making to investing, leadership to entrepreneurship, philanthropy to diplomacy, Schwarzman has lessons for how to think about ambition and scale, risk and opportunities, and how to achieve success through the relentless pursuit of excellence.