Good to Great - review

Good to Great by Jim Collins analyzes eleven companies that made the jump from good to great. To provide some perspective, Collins includes eleven direct comparison companies that did not make the leap. The research is well documented throughout the book and there is considerable discussion as to which companies were chosen and why.

Collins and his team of researchers make 7 observations of what these good to great companies had: level 5 leadership (a humble yet driven leader), assembling (or recognizing) the team then figuring out what to do, willingness to look at the facts, simple (yet defined) concepts, discipline, proper use and understanding of technology, and a slow, steady build-up.

One part that struck me was Hedgehog Concept - being centered around a simple idea. The hedgehog only has one defense - roll up in a ball. But this simple defense always withstands the attacks by the creative fox. While there were three parameters that govern this concept, simply being focused made it easy for these companies to say yes and no to opportunities. This saved them from the disaster that often accompanied the comparison companies.

This book was recommended by a friend and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It proves out concepts of humility, focus, determination, and discipline versus getting rich all of a sudden by one good idea. This book, even though it was written later, is actually a prequel to Collin's other famous work - Built to Last.