Good to Great
Written by Jim Collins
Narrated by Jim Collins
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Built To Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.
But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don't. The findings include:
- Level 5 Leadership: A surprising style, required for greatness.
- The Hedgehog Concept: Finding your three circles, to transcend the curse of competence.
- A Culture of Discipline: The alchemy of great results.
- Technology Accelerators: How good-to-great companies think differently about technology.
- The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Why those who do frequent restructuring fail to make the leap.
Jim Collins
Jim Collins is a student and teacher of what makes great companies tick, and a Socratic advisor to leaders in the business and social sectors. Having invested more than a quarter-century in rigorous research, he has authored or coauthored six books that have sold in total more than 10 million copies worldwide. They include Good to Great, Built to Last, How the Mighty Fall, and Great by Choice. Driven by a relentless curiosity, Jim began his research and teaching career on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. In addition to his work in the business sector, Jim has a passion for learning and teaching in the social sectors, including education, healthcare, 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. In 2017, Forbes selected Jim as one of the 100 Greatest Living Business Minds. Jim has been an avid rock climber for more than forty years and has completed single-day ascents of El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite Valley. Learn more about Jim and his concepts at his website, where you’ll find articles, videos, and useful tools. jimcollins.com
Related to Good to Great
Titles in the series (5)
Good to Great Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How the Mighty Fall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related audiobooks
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How the Mighty Fall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Influencer: The Power to Change Anything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The E-Myth Enterprise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Winning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New One Minute Manager Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Will You Measure Your Life? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Five Most Important Questions: You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taking People With You: The Only Way to Make Big Things Happen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Management For You
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New One Minute Manager Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Company Rules: Or Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the CIA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/525 Ways to Win with People: How to Make Others Feel Like a Million Bucks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power Code: More Joy. Less Ego. Maximum Impact for Women (and Everyone). Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The First Minute: How to start conversations that get results Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Authentic Leader: Five Essential Traits of Effective, Inspiring Leaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Principle-Centered Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finance Secrets of Billion-Dollar Entrepreneurs: Venture Finance Without Venture Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radical Candor by Kim Scott - Book Summary: Be A Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously In Charge Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emotionally Intelligent Leader Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Good to Great
770 ratings77 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book focuses on moving organizations from "good" to "great" with lots of applications for education.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I learned a bit from this book, and was impressed at the analysis that went into it. Interesting to see that two of the companies are not great anymore (as noted by others, Fannie Mae & Circuit City). Level 5 leadership is needed everywhere. I need to read this again!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is all about how to take a company from good, or mediocre to great! Not quite tailored to non-profits but discusses some good theories: level 5 leaders, hedgehog concepts and more. Not as dry as other management books, Collins uses lots of examples which helps a non commercially minded person get a grasp on his concepts.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very good insight on what it will take to reach the next level of greatness in whatever you set out to do in life. This audio book is straight forward & real.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It was the unambiguous narration of the journey and the intricate decisions most companies made at certain junctions of their companies history, that gave me clarity and a sense of positive feeling that when I do start my company, I will move from being just good to great.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good stuff, think its worth a listen if youre sexy
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love Jim's ideas! The best part about this book is that the ideas apply to our personal lives too.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book shows how we all should manage our own individual lives and those we lead. It is some of the best support for great leadership!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved the way the book started - Good is the enemy of great.I have read a few business books, but soon I realized that this book is meant particularly for people who are already in some kind of managerial/entrepreneurial position.Although I enjoyed the Hedgehog concept, the later chapters definitely require deeper understanding and management experience.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excelent book. The concepts are very up to date (2020) and has helped me change my vision as an entrepreneur.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Highly insightful definitely recommend for anyone who wants to learn how to take things to the next level
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Really great book supported by tremendous amount of data. Couldn't stop reading it, by far the best data-supported book you'll ever find on the topic.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeless principles that can apply to any organization, whether corporate or non-corporate!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It’s a great book for growing from mediocre to greatness.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Regardless of how these companies turned out almost 20 years later, the principles taught here are timeless and true I could very much relate to them from my experience in business and life. Like Jim said, even if the UCLA Bruins basketball team isn’t the same as it was during its great dynasty, it does not change the principles that made it great during that period of time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I’m a teacher, not a business person, but the principles in Good to Great apply to ALL sectors. The Stockdale paradox, the hedgehog concept and the level five leader are all principles I am taking back to my school. Even though several of the companies he studied have gone bankrupt, the way they turned from good to great over a period is still relevant. It’s a timeless classic!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Really interesting book. Read it on 2x speed and it was understandable. Would recommend everyone who want's to know something more about leaders and leadership
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great book to learn what to implement at the foundational levels of your business to grow and be successful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great learning from this book. I loved it. More. Thank You
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great research book that reiterates the importance of key principles of success. Perhaps a bit on the longer side but this is a reflection of the extensive research behind the book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book has changed how I look at many things and also made me realize that good is not good enough, and good is an enemy of greatness.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyed the audiobook!
No success is overnight. It is the accumulation of small insignificant pushes on the flywheel that create momentum and produce great results. ? - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed Good to Great as part of our book club at work. I appreciate that the findings were based on data and research, and not anecdotes and poorly remembered details from specific business personalities. I would love to see an updated version twenty years later with how the internet has transformed things, but the book did mention how great companies use technology smartly and not rely on it completely.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Extremely non-putdownable! I couldn’t stop listening day after day. Very practical and relatable lessons. Best book I have read this year! If you run a company or startup etc. this is the book you need to read now… before you start working on your strategy!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This one's been on my list for years. Now I'm wondering what took me so long. Very useful!!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Required reading for any entrepreneur, leader, or human. Definitely gets better every time I read it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very straightforward and comprehensive! Jim did it again in his manner!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The amount of research that went into this book is a testament to the reliability of the advice it gives! Be a hedgehog, not a fox.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I’ve resisted reading this book for a decade or so. As a pastor I’ve long associated it with an uncritical business thinking takeover of Christian leadership. As I read it, I’m certainly critical of parts, from methodology to interpretation, but slowly it overwhelmed me with helpfulness. It’s just too helpful of a book to not read and apply. Yes, of course, it’s not the only book to read, and it doesn’t have all the answers (whatever that means), but it’s one of the few books I read this year that I’ll reread in the next three years.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the best book on leadership I have read in a while. I particularly related to the emphasis placed on the humility and reserved nature of the great company leaders described in this book. Whilst admiring the clarity with which Collins describes the key elements of companies that have made the steps up from being good to great, I did feel some of the terms used to describe these ideas were grating at times - when you have read the word hedgehog numerous times you will understand what I mean!Overall, an excellent book from which I have learnt an enormous amount,