Great by Choice

By: Jim Collins, Morten T. Hansen

Narrated by: Jim Collins

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The new question: Ten years after the worldwide best seller Good to Great, Jim Collins returns to ask: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? In Great by Choice, Collins and his colleague, Morten T. Hansen, enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times.

The new study: Great by Choice distinguishes itself from Collins’s prior work by its focus on the type of unstable environments faced by leaders today.

The new findings:

• The best leaders were more disciplined, more empirical, and more paranoid.
• Following the belief that leading in a “fast world” always requires “fast decisions” and “fast action” is a good way to get killed.
• The great companies changed less in reaction to a radically changing world than the comparison companies.

This book is classic Collins: contrarian, data-driven, and uplifting. He and Hansen show convincingly that, even in a chaotic and uncertain world, greatness happens by choice, not by chance.

©2011 Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Exceptional !!!

Wow!! One of the greatest books ever! A must read for every executive and entrepreneur on a quest to build greatness!

Great book!!!

What did you love best about Great by Choice?

This book was a real eye-opener. It helped me to see things outside the box and gives you a recipe for sucess. I thing it should be required reading for any business person.

What did you like best about this story?

The stories used in the book help me to retain the message that goes with the story, making it easier to keep things fresh.

What does Jim Collins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jim doesn't just read the book, he tells you what he wants you to learn from the book. There are graphs and pictures in the book that he is able to help you visualize in his narration.

Still a good listening!

I very much respect the value of Jim Collins researches. While I was reading this book I often thought I was re-reading Good to Great. Many exemples and conclusions were the same. The subject title is the same. If you read one of these books, there's no need to read the other.

Second time through and still learning to apply

Continuously improving in knowledge and application. Will continue to review every few years. Outstanding lessons.

Do not kid yourself this by far one of the best!

Where does Great by Choice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5 of all books.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Great by Choice?

20 mile march. What it means to be consistent.

Which scene was your favorite?

Made very specific points to the 10x'er. Are you a 10x'er?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Persistence and value blew me away!

Any additional comments?

If this book does not motivate you, I am super sorry. This is one of the new age motivational and confidence builders of today.

Worthwhile Read

Jim Collins talks about a commitment to discipline and a concept he calls the 20 mile march. Calling for more discipline in business is not a revelation but it well deserves repeating and emphasis. The 20 mile march was the best and most empowering part of the book. Most of us are not, nor do we work for Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or some other visionary business leader. The 20 mile march throws open the doors for the rest of us. It says that most of us can do great things if we work within certain reasonable parameters. Collins attempt to pump up the energy with his spirited narration comes off as a bit over the top on occasion. Don't let that minor flaw dissuade you from benefitting from this fine piece of work.

I liked From Good to Great a lot better

It was a good book but I guess my hopes were that it would be a lot better than his earlier works but still a great book

Incredible

What made the experience of listening to Great by Choice the most enjoyable?

Jim Collins is the best and most important business author of the last two decades, period.

What other book might you compare Great by Choice to and why?

Fits directly in the Built to Last, Good to Great style, but more geared for triumph over chaos and uncertainty.

What about Jim Collins’s performance did you like?

Authenticity, plainly delivered from the author himself.

the author is a terrible reader

the story is good but I have a hard time listening because the author is the worst reader. his cadence is terrible, it's like he's trying to do a poor Christopher walken accent. if you really want to read the book, get the actual book, don't torture yourself with the audio version.

Must read for project or program leaders.

Lots of research into easy to grasp concepts on how to lead to be successful.