Editorial Review:
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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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Great for the small business owner  2008-06-30
Good to Great is a great book for anyone in business. I was amazed at some of the less obvious lessons learned from the years of research as well as the simple truths that seemed obvious after they were revealed.
I am a small business owner with a professional degree but with no formal business education. It was good to read "research" that was not all stuffy and dry. A particularly strong point for me was the argument for why I should strive to be great and not just "good" or even "mediocre". I am planning on reading Jim Collins' other book, Built to Last.
A New Way to Look at Growing Your Business  2008-06-28
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't" by Jim Collins was a real eye opener for me.
In this book, Jim Collins, observes 28 companies over the span of 5 years. Over this period of time 11 of the companies make the leap from "Good to Great". The findings in this book were truly eye opening and inspirational. I loved the chapter on Level 5 leadership. Collins starts the chapter using a quote by Harry S. Truman "You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit". This is the essence of the book.
I also loved that in this book he speaks about how the executives that ignited the transformation for companies that went from good to great, did not figure out how to drive the bus, but how to get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off) and then they figured out where to drive it.
Another book I really enjoyed reading about transformation is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. Any person who is looking to grow their business would greatly benefit from reading both these books.
Good to Great 2008-06-27
The condition of this book was excellent. I recieved it in a very timely manner. If you currently own or are looking to own your own business, this book is invaluable. The concepts are concrete, realistic, and attainable. I highly recommend this book.
A Book That Gets Down To Business 2008-06-22
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.
This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.
If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.
Real Life Dramas - Volume One
Darren G. Burton
Who is on your Bus? 2008-06-16
This is one of the most quotable books around. There are excellent tidbits, which can be applied to everyday business. For example, Right people on the bus, Hedgehog concept, Level 5 leadership....a dabbling for everyone to enjoy and quote.
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