| Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap...and Others Don't |  | Author: James C. Collins
Publisher: Harperbusiness
Category: Book
Buy New: £50.36
New (1) Used (1) from £49.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 2488416
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
ISBN: 0066621003
Dewey Decimal Number: 658
EAN: 9780066621005
ASIN: 0066621003
Publication Date: September 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Five years ago Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last concludes that it is possible, but finds that there are no silver bullets to greatness. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Gillette, Walgreens and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not-so-great, Collins lays a well-reasoned roadmap to excellence that any organisation would do well to consider. 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. --Harry C Edwards
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 A New Way to Look at Growing Your Business November 16, 2008
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't" by Jim Collins was a real eye opener for me.
In this book, Jim Collins, observes 28 companies over the span of 5 years. Over this period of time 11 of the companies make the leap from "Good to Great". The findings in this book were truly eye opening and inspirational. I loved the chapter on Level 5 leadership. Collins starts the chapter using a quote by Harry S. Truman "You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit". This is the essence of the book.
I also loved that in this book he speaks about how the executives that ignited the transformation for companies that went from good to great, did not figure out how to drive the bus, but how to get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off) and then they figured out where to drive it.
Another book I really enjoyed reading about transformation is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shaya Kane. Any person who is looking to grow their business would greatly benefit from reading both these books.
A Classic work for Leaders September 4, 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.
A Book That Gets Down To Business July 31, 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.
This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.
If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.
How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good
Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1
Darren G. Burton
 The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence' June 29, 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.
The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.
The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).
So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.
 You could sum it up in one page..... April 6, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.
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