The book Good To Great by Jim Collins addresses the question “Can a good company become a great company?” His teams rigorous approach to research comes up with some insightful results that aren’t always what you’d expect. Here are some of my favorite takeaways.
– The Hedgehog Concept is about doing one core thing better than anybody else. The great companies in Collin’s study all discovered the single focus of their companies and relentlessly focused on it.
– Start with Who means that the first key to building a great company is getting the right people on the bus. Only then do you figure out where to drive it.
– The best leaders aren’t the most charismatic. This was a comfort to me because I am certainly not a charismatic leader. Collins discovered that some of the best leaders were reserved and not even great speakers. What they were was passionate with the highest integrity.
– The Flywheel is about momentum. Greatness isn’t achieved through a single monumental heroic effort, but rather through consistent, deliberate pushes in the same direction.
No matter where you are in your business this book can help you identify what’s really important (or get if you should get the heck outa there!)
