Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

Yes, the narrator is the author, so maybe that counts for something. But man, he just goes so far over the top over-weighting his words so often, it's pretty comical at times. The sample is a bit misleading, because Collins is just getting warmed up in that. A few more pages in, and He Is Speaking Like A Triumphant Graduate Student Who Has Just...Found...The...PROOF...That...Discipline -- DISCIPLINE! -- is the Key!

Narrative comedy aside, there is a lot of worthwhile information here, though when you boil it down there's a lot of the obvious here. Also in late 2010 the discussion of Circuit City and Fannie Mae as "great companies" is a bit ridiculous; and some of the companies discussed as great have attained their greatness in part by less-than-moral means that have come to light in the years of increasingly ubiquitous internet since the book's publication. Still, Collins' articulation is highly accessible and well-ordered, making "the obvious" easier to digest and retain. 4 stars for content, 2 stars for narration = 3 stars.

I'd heard SO much about this book but KNEW almost nothing. When it started, I worried that it was only for big business - but it's WAY more than that.

It's for entrepreneurs and nonprofits. It's for people who want to turn around their business life and kick it up several notches. It's for getting the right people on the bus first and always asking if what you're doing fits in the intersection of something you're passionate about, can be the best in the world at, and drives your economic engine.

I'll listen again... lots to gain from this very popular book.

Charlie Seymour Jr

The author starts off by not grabbing my attention, but by making me sit through a long laundry list of the names of the contributors and other information that is highly personal to him, but especially boring to me at the beginning of an audio book. The author (who's the narrator too) then launches into a diatribe about the toil and effort and labor hours it took for the book followed by a trying-too-hard explanation of their research methodology with cliche' examples of "if you would have invested $1000 dollars in" back in …

I thought this part was over, but even after my coffee and breakfast, the author is still over emphasizing their research methodology and speaking of how they "pounded on tables" and other debate action with each other about the book. I continued to listen anyway, then I found him listing out another dry and boring laundry list of companies. When telling a story, Stephen King Points out: "don't tell us a thing, when you can show us" in his book On Writing. The author is "big" on telling us instead of showing us, effectively robbing the reader/listener of the experience of the discovery that a good and interesting story brings. I want to "discover" profound things as I go along, not names thrown at me all at once. He is still rambling about research methods at the 30 minute mark. "We call ourselves the chimps, in honor of our mascot Curious George" speaking still of how great their efforts were in their producing the book at the 32 minute mark. He speaks to us about the steak when we want to hear about the sizzle, let us taste the steak, not give us a molecular structure breakdown of it. Highly boring, this self-back patting is, I feel. I want to learn the unique information, not how hard they worked with Curious George cliché'(s) and table pounding meetings.

Well researched. Counter-intuitive conclusions. Easy to listen to narration. Definitely worth the time and money.

This is simply a must read for any leader who struggles with taking their team to a new level of productivity. The hardest part of going from good to great is when no one else has done what you are trying to do. This book provides some very simple principles giving you a roadmap to help you and your team understand what should be your main focus.

Excellent information! Well studied case histories, Jim's team thoroughly investigates each company's history used in the book, then gives a comparison company to allow us "the listener" know exactly what the companies people did to make that particular company succeed in certain area's or fail... each scenario is so detailed there is no room for error. This book is very well written.
Thank you so much Jim Collins & the people that helped you write this book, I loved it!!!
I Loved: "How the Mighty fall", too!

This book is over simplified dividing the world into two random groups "hedgehogs vs foxes" which is totally arbitrary. It's amusing in a way to listen to it now hearing him extol the virtues of such dynamite companies like Circuit City and Fannie Mae...the fact that he holds such companies so highly and draws his lessons from study of these companies seems to completely undermine all his conclusions. Avoid this crappy, boring, book.

I love David McCullough's narration because it feels like I'm just chatting with someone at a bar or near a camp fire. I love Jim Collins work and it breaks through a lot of previous stereotypes about "show horse" CEOs and the obsession with technological advances in business. I would have enjoyed listening to this more if he just talked like he was talking with his sibling over dinner.
While the narration is a bit over-enunciated, it is clear and easy to follow. To be fair, Jim's profession isn't narration, it's research.
I love the way this book brings out all kinda of characters and history I'd never known about great companies and how it weaves all those individual anecdotes in a greater theory about what makes great companies great. I read this book based on the recommendation from the author of Delivering Happiness because the Zappos CEO said this book was one of the most influential books he had read. I also love it because it really makes it seem like the data supports the idea that nice guys (level 5) and not arrogant asterisk types finish first. Good story, great message. I love it!

Good but dry

Probably that the discovery that compensation had no correlation between how great or not so great a company was.

A little bit more personality/excitement

No

This was a book recommended to me so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had just gotten done listening to the 10x Rule by Grant Cardone and was probably still on that adrenaline rush. I will have to listen to it again sometime.

Overall satisfying & great story

Would love to have a follow up in 10 years

Last section

simple answers brought from the data

none