Good to Great
by Jim Collins
Collins' research on companies that went from average to sustained excellence produced a vocabulary still in use: Level 5 leaders, first who then what, confront the brutal facts, the hedgehog concept, the flywheel. Several of the great companies have since faltered, which teaches its own lesson. The frameworks remain useful for any organization or career.
Read it if…
you lead an organization or a team and want a disciplined framework for what to focus on.
Skip it if…
you want personal development; the unit of analysis is the company.
Three things you will actually use
- Get the right people on the bus first.
- Confront the brutal facts without losing faith.
- Push the flywheel in one consistent direction.
Do this first
Write your hedgehog: what you can be the best at, what drives your economics, what you are passionate about.
Our verdict
A landmark business book; use the frameworks, remember the caveats.
Compare with other Leadership books
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Supercommunicators
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Practical and readable; a useful guide to actually talking.
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