Good to Great

Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

By: Jim Collins

Narrated by: Jim Collins

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Built to Last, the defining management study of the '90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.

But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?

Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don't. The findings include:

• Level 5 Leadership: A surprising style, required for greatness
• The Hedgehog Concept: Finding your three circles, to transcend the curse of competence
• A Culture of Discipline: The alchemy of great results
• Technology Accelerators: How good-to-great companies think differently about technology
• The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Why those who do frequent restructuring fail to make the leap

©2001 Jim Collins (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come." (Amazon.com review)

"If you believe that a visionary leader with a strong ego is an essential component of sustained business success, then Jim Collins has a few thousand words for you. His carefully researched audiobook explains that the success of companies that outperform the market for 15 years in a row comes from selfless leadership, rigorous focus, and a culture of discipline....[T]here's another reason this book has burst through as a bestseller, which you can feel in Collins's narration: He is honestly excited about his research and unconventional findings. ( AudioFile)

Over Dramatic Reading but Good Content

The content of the book is interesting and useful IF you can get past Jim Collins' over-dramatic performance. If I had to do it again I would have bought the print version and read it. Listing to the audiobook is annoying but I suffered through it because the content was valuable.

Not applicable bcause of Circuit City? Think again

I thought this book was no longer applicable because of the references to failed companies such as Circuit City. Boy was I wrong... I really enjoyed this book and believe that Jim Collins nails it with the "five levels of leadership" concept.

All companies have good years and bad years. Sometimes, in the case of Circuit City, the bad years drive the companies out of business. But this book doesn't suggest that Circuit City was destined to last. Only that it went from a time when it was a mediocre performer to a cutting edge, industry leader performer in home electronics sales. This book analyzes the change that took place from the mediocre years to the top performing years and suggests what it took to realize that performance. It also shows how the right leaders in the right places of an organization can make all the difference (and apparently can cause the company to go underwater if this principle is not strictly adhered to).

Best of all, since I am a numbers guy, I appreciated the simplification and association of these concepts with regards to how to affected each of the "great" companies bottom lines during the change years.

Great book... don't get turned off by some of the names... the principles and concepts hold true to this day. Strongly recommended.

Thorough and well supported

Very helpful instructions that includes research and evidence and not simply philosophy. Recommend this for experienced business owners and entrepreneurs alike

great content with small technical nuisances

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

the pitch and volume of the narrator varied so much that sometimes you could not hear him — if you turned the volume up, other parts would be much too loud

Any additional comments?

the musical sound under the narrator's voice, at the start of a section, was distracting

Great read!

a refreshing look at amazing leaders and the successful companies that they led. Opens your eyes to what each of us can be capable of accomplishing if we strive for it.

I'll listen to this one again

I will definitely listen to this book again and will continue to return to it for references and examples used throughout the book. Well worth listening to.

One of the Greats...

This book is one of the greatest selling business books of all time. Its insights are brilliant and well researched. This is without question, a must read for anyone interested in business.

Highly inspiring, very well read, well explained

highly inspiring, very well read, and we'll explained. I especially appreciated that the author read his own book. It was like having a seminar presented by Mr. Collins.

Great material and easy to listen to.

Jim Collins does a great job keeping you engage with his storytelling ability. He provides relevant examples in which you can easily place yourself as he talks through various scenarios.

Solid read but a little dated

Great book but pretty outdated with the companies discussed. I'd love to read these same type of studies with newer companies