Good to Great

I rarely read actual books. Papers and reports, protocols and synopses count for the majority of my reading. What a bizarre hobby. I can never name "reading" as a hobby or passtime. There's nothing enticing to me in the act of reading text writ on paper. But I enjoy learning, and if a lesson isn't in a convenient format such as infomercials, online flash animations or campfire song, I'll settle for reading it.


This one in particular was lent to me by my boss. Good to Great, by Jim Collins. The much hailed follow-up to his even more hailed Built to Last. Built to Last was an analysis on how companies build enduring success, while Good to Great details a research project into how companies can transform from average okay and profitable to industry leaders and iconic models. To be honest, I wasn't so enthused to read this hardcover book weighing down my courier bag, and delayed cracking the binding for a few weeks until this week. I'm a scientist at heart, and as much as my boss loves to ponder the concepts of great leadership, I've never salivated at the thought of reading a book about business.

I went in expecting a dry, by-the-numbers analysis of various brand names I cared nothing about like Fannie Mae and Kroger; something I'd skim just to fake having read the book, to coming away really having learned a new perspective. It was a mercifully short read and made no great expectation of the reader that they'd have a Harvard business degree or anything. Reading the previous work, Built to Last was also not necessary. The book was five years in the making, a team effort to systematically look at real life companies that went from good to great, and how they differed from companies that remained mediocre. Selfless leaders, focus, hardwork, and discipline consistently prevailed over egos and quick-fixes. The key to success was often simple and humane, in contrast to what one might expect from the cutthroat world of suits and ties.

But I still would not have been all that interested in a how-to recipe to make a company great. A lowly intern is a few steps removed from any steering of the ship. But I found the ideas presented to be common to these great transitions are applicable to other endeavours, business and non-business organizations. But I read it as how it can apply to the business I run now, called life. I was glad to have my own driving principles validated, but more importantly, it helped me think about them and add to them, to give them descriptions. Discipline and determination has always been important to me, but I have no easy case to make for the behavior other than that I'm a bit of a square. ;o)

So I recommend it to anyone, not just those looking to shift a company into high gear, but those interested in constant improvement and success in the time we have.