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Good to Great
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't | Jim Collins
The Challenge 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 verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? The Study For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? The Standards Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck. The Comparisons The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't. The Findings The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap. Some of the key concepts discerned in the study, comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people. Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?
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shortsarahrose
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Today‘s #bookhaul from the free book table - Good to Great and Sword Art Online. Plus a cameo from the nutrition book I‘m currently reading. I should probably finish some of the books in my stack before adding any more to the pile! 😆 📚

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Owls31092
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Pickpick

Although difficult to get through as a history major, this book gave great insight on how to become great whether it‘s within your personal life or your business.

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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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I‘ve always been told I‘m not positive enough… I just consider myself more realistic.

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Owls31092

Thinking about the all school meetings I sit in at work- I wish we would hold one in which there is no script and no agenda and we can just talk about whatever we want. I feel as if that would reduce our turnover and actually get us to solve problems.

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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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What can I say? The team makes the job in the end. If you don‘t have a great team, you‘re not going to love what you do. On that note, it is the boss‘s job to look at the team, notice the shifting dynamics that occur and work with team to find the best fit for everyone even if that means moving employees to other departments where they would be a better fit.

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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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I could probably argue against this one, but there is some truth to it. Those who are going to do a great job do a great job regardless of pay. Unfortunately, they‘re also the ones who end up overworked, underpaid, exploited for labor (yes, it happens in white collar jobs as well), and get burnt out the fastest. #goodtogreat #jimcollins #bookstagram #businessadministration #appliedorganizationalleadership #business

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Owls31092
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So this is actually very interesting because my classes taught me the “Genius with a Thousand Helpers” way, but I can see how the Level 5 way makes more sense. At least with Level 5, you have multiple people setting the vision and not just one person.

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Owls31092
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Owls31092
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KarinWestbrook
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Picking up a classic to read, and potentially bring to my leadership kids! Happy reading!

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Dogearedcopy
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Pickpick

‘Good to Great‘ is, by the author‘s admission, actually the *prequel* to ‘Built to Last‘ though the latter was researched, written and, published first! The reasons are outlined in the final chapter and tempts me to go ahead and order BTL; but I think I‘ll hold off until the next management class to see if other book recs come up!

#ReadyToManageTheWorld 😂

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Dogearedcopy
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The third key concept from this book is the Flywheel— a metaphor for the building momentum of a good-to-great business. There‘s another diagram, the Doom Loop which is the antithesis of the Flywheel. Interestingly, I‘ve been a part of large organizations that have been exemplars of each!

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vlwelser
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This is getting kind of old but the content / study conclusions are still legit. The author and his team studied publicly held companies that went from good to great and stayed there for a significant amount of time. I especially liked the insight about what he calls level 5 leaders. This book gets referenced a lot. The #audiobook is read by the author.

33 likes1 stack add
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Dogearedcopy
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The Hedgehog Concept is ostensibly presented as a key item in successful corporate missions, but I think there‘s something to be said for it being a *personal* driver as well!

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Dogearedcopy
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In chapter 2, the author discusses leadership levels. I pretty much instantly recognized myself as a “Level 1”. I have always adhered that you lead by example; but now I see that if you want to manage people, you have to be a bit more outward facing and not an aggressive introvert!

#LevelUp

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Dogearedcopy
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Whenever a business title crosses my desk, I think, “Ugh”; but then after I finish, I‘m all, “I‘m going to take over the world!”

Starting this one today. It‘s highly recommended at the management seminar I‘m taking.

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Francknbeans
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Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.

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caiyichuan
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Why some companies make the leap and others don‘t

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Booked529
Pickpick

Are you working at a good company? Whether you‘re an individual contributor or in executive leadership, this is a must read to help take your company to the next level. Jim Collins and his team did extensive research to provide insight as to why good companies either fail, or become great.

Nute Welcome to Litsy! It‘s a warm and friendly community. I know that you will enjoy yourself here. I‘m looking forward to getting to know you!🙂 4y
2 likes1 comment
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Pickpick

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Worth a read. Examples are a little dated but the principles are timeless. Regardless of the type of business you're trying to run these are solid guiding principles. The only missing piece that I found from this book was Why. Collins would dance around it but never mentions Why specially.
#Nonfiction #business #audiobook #economics #finished

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Vivlio_Gnosi

People are not your most important asset. The RIGHT people are your most important assets.
#Nonfiction #business #audiobook

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Vivlio_Gnosi

1st: get the right people on board
THEN
2nd, figure out the right direction.
#Nonfiction #business #audiobook #economics

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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What is your relationship with the mirror and the window?
Intrigued? Skip ahead to 1:50 in the #audiobook
#Nonfiction #business #motivation

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Vivlio_Gnosi

Your Stop Doing list is more important than your To Do list.
#Nonfiction #business #motivation #audiobook

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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Moving this book from my #TBR stack to my current reading stack.
Looking forward to another broadening of my perspective!
#Nonfiction #business #motivation #audiobook

4 likes1 stack add
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Vivlio_Gnosi
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Adding this #Nonfiction #business book to my #TBR stack for #NFNov.
@rsteve388 @Clwojick

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r2wend2
Pickpick

Great investigation of how a company goes from Good to Great. Highlights what 11 companies that made the leap had in common. Well written and applicable to anyone who wants to work on something great.

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ri_shrub93
Pickpick

Great book for anyone who wants to understand some lasting principles of great businesses.. #ReadAbook

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JoScho
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Getting my oil changed (and ignoring the other laundry list of things they say I need to do) and I am not the only reader in the waiting room. Getting my oil changed is a chore I loathe!

AmyG I always used it as a reading opportunity, too. 5y
Aims42 I always bring my book with me for my car‘s oil changes too 👍🏻 5y
JoScho @AmyG @Aims42 reading makes it a bit less painful. 5y
102 likes1 stack add3 comments
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jessreadsbooks88
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About to start reading this for a book club. Not something I would pick on my own, but I'm curious to see what it has to offer me and my life.

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Litpixie
Pickpick

An interesting book that even after 17 years still holds up. Yes, some of the companies featured are no longer around, and Collins explores why good to great companies fail.

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Litpixie
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After taking care of a few things yesterday I'm starting a new business book today.

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StephanieGeiser
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I‘m not sure that I will actually have the time to complete this challenge over the next 5 days but my stack of books TBR with deadlines that are coming up too quickly is making me think I have nothing to lose here.

The concept is simple- just read for 25 hours over the next 5 days (4/5 - 4/9) and keep track of your accomplishments here and/or IG using #25infive

I‘m going to start with the tagged book.

Happy reading!

Andrew65 Welcome aboard, any Reading is good and the taking part is more important than getting to 25 hours. 😊 (edited) 6y
rather_be_reading i wish i had time! 6y
30 likes2 comments
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StephanieGeiser

“Leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the answers and then motivating everyone to follow your messianic vision. It means having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand enough to have the answers and then ask the questions that will lead to the best possible insights.” (Pg 75)

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StephanieGeiser
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“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” (Pg 11)

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Greg

"Larger than life, celebrity leaders who ride in from the outside are negatively correlated with taking a company from good to great." Hmm... what does that remind you of?

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AmberB1
Mehso-so

Slightly dated because some of the great companies that he lists are not around anymore. Still, good practical insights.

3 likes1 stack add
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Queenofeverything4
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My Work Related list on Goodreads. #Workplace books #somethingforseptember #septphotochallenge #Workplace books #Day5

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AmberB1

How do you make your profile say what you are currently reading? With the small pair of reading glasses beside the title on your profile? Thanks in advance for any help!

Tav Click on the add the stack button beneath the book you blurbed and select currently reading. 8y
AmberB1 Good Lord! I can't believe I couldn't figure that out!! Sheesh! Thank you so much for letting me know! 8y
3 likes1 stack add2 comments