Book review - Good to Great, JIm Collins

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance.

Greatness, as it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious

choice.

Short Video (2 m):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVfqKEM0cmA

Detailed Video (27 m):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9GOjdAMGfc

Key Take Aways:

*There was lots of research done to develop this book and identify the differences in a good company and a great company. To be in the mix there was very strict criteria that weighted people and culture as much as business financials. Great companies had to get the Right Results the Right Way. There are 8 components, which make up the chapters. There is also a nice little key points recap at the end of each chapter. I also really liked the frequently asked questions section at the end. A lot of my questions were answered there.

Level 5 Leadership, there is a 5-level progression, culminating in a leader that can channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company.

First Who….Then What, Get the right people on the bus, great vision without great people is irrelevant. You can’t grow faster than your ability to get great people.

Confront the Brutal Facts, four steps; 1) Lead with questions, 2) engage in dialogue and debate, 3) conduct autopsies without blame, 4) build red flag mechanisms.

The Hedgehog Concept, 3 concentric circle, What you are passionate about, What you can be the best at and What drives your economic engine.

Culture of Discipline, be disciplined to stay focused on the things in your hedgehog circles, stop doing stuff outside those circles.

Technology Accelerators, technology will not build the things you need, but can accelerate them.

Flywheel, have a great foundation and slowly build things on top that increase the mass and velocity of the business, it will become very difficult to stop.

Built to Last, preserve your core values and core purpose, change your culture and operating practices, your specific goals and strategies