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According to Dr. Peter Senge, a learning organization requires five disciplines to be successful. In one of Senge's books, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, one of the disciplines is Personal Mastery. This involves following certain practices and principles that help you learn, create a personal vision, and view the world objectively. Three essential principles of personal mastery include personal vision, use of creative tension, and a commitment to the truth.

This quote from William O'Brien, the former CEO of Hanover Insurance Company, best exemplifies the nature and importance of personal mastery. "The results of an intervention depend on the interior condition of the intervenor." It is the business version of a cartoon character's famous comment: "We have found the enemy, it is us!"

We may have great ideas, but, if as an organization, we do not have the patience, perseverance and creativity to transform our vision into reality, then everything is for nothing. Senge characterizes personal mastery as the "spiritual foundation" of learning organizations.