Make Room on your Bookshelf

There are dozens of long, favorable reviews heaping praise on Jim Collins and team. Suffice it to say, this book offers useful insights and tangible concepts.

Equally important for the small business person, this offers a unique insight into the composition and attributes of successful companies. Collins & Co do an excellent job organizing huge volumes of research, and making the information very plain.

Best,
Toby Lucich

From Great to Good

First of all, it is a great book and it really enlightens me on what drives those good companies to become great companies. Before I read this book, I couldn't see factors that define between good and great. But Jim has brought me to reach certain level to see quite clearly. Moreover I've seen the inside view on culture of good to great companies in terms of leadership, disciplines and concepts. It was very helpful to understand Jim's finding using comparison between two companies, one achieved good to great transition and one doesn't. I've been convinced why the good is the enemy of the great and learned why a lot of companies have failed to become great companies. Jim and his team have proved the leadership is one of the factors to achieve good to great transformation. But only level 5 leaders can drive the company to become a great one or achieve to higher level by setting up good values. Getting right people for the company plays a vital role and they must have some degree of freedom. It is also important for the executive and his team to face the brutal facts to maintain or build the growth of the company. While the company is building its momentum, it must consistent with clear concept and persistent discipline to achieve visible result which will energize its people. Then it starts cycle of flywheel and it can be accelerated by using technology and acquisitions. Over the time, the company will become a great company and earn a dramatic result which can be perceived as overnight success from outside. This book has unveiled factors which most good companies missed and failed to implement. I am sure that Jim's findings can be applied to other management bodies to achieve objectives.

"Good is the enemy of Great" - Jim Collins

In his book "Good to Great," Jim Collins and his research team explore what goes into a good company to make it great. His entire research is based on what goes in the transformation stage of a good company, after which the company not just becomes great but sustains the great results for more than 15 years. The chapters in the book explain all the essential factors that Jim and his crew found while researching on the topic of what it takes to make the company great. Following are the list of the factors which were of great interest to me:
1.Leaders who channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company contribute significantly in the company's success.
2.Further, Jim explains that getting right people in company is as important as getting a right leader. He writes "it is important to first get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) before you figure out where to drive it."
3.Finally, the Hedgehog concept which explains what you can be the best in the world at and what you cannot be the best in the world at and what drives your economic engine.
Apart from all above mentioned factors, I like Jim's way of beginning the book by quoting "Good is the Enemy of Great" and explaining why some companies are good and some are great. One of the main reasons that contribute to the greatness of this book is its use of simple and clear language that is easy to understand and follow. If you are really interested in knowing what makes a company great, this book is a must reading for you.