Great by Choice
by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
Why some companies thrive in chaos: fanatic discipline (the twenty-mile march), empirical creativity (fire bullets, then cannonballs), productive paranoia (reserves and buffers), and the finding that the winners were not more innovative or bolder, just more consistent. The Amundsen-versus-Scott opening alone is worth the price.
Read it if…
you operate in a volatile field and want to build consistency rather than chase luck.
Skip it if…
you dislike Collins' matched-pair method; it is used again.
Three things you will actually use
- Consistency beats intensity in uncertain times.
- Test small before committing big.
- Keep buffers; zoom out before you zoom in.
Do this first
Define your twenty-mile march: the minimum you will do every week regardless of conditions, and the maximum you will not exceed.
Our verdict
Practical and vivid; discipline over daring.
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