Jim Collins
Good to Great could have been a great book. I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of the book, which is narrated by the author. For this reason, I think it was only a “good” book. At parts, Collins was downright condescending. The inflection I found in his voice did not sit well with me, and I think I would’ve been better of reading this book “traditionally”. Anyway, the book’s main objective was to focus on 11 “good” companies and their transition to becoming “great” companies. The book pointed out some interesting facts, such as great companies don’t always have the high-profile CEO’s and they aren’t always on the cutting edge of technology; they embrace technology, but it’s not *the* reason that the company was successful. The main reason Collins and his research teams gives for “greatness” is excellent leadership (a “level-5″ leader), a focus on a “hedgehog concept”, being passionate about what you do, and being the best at what you do. Sounds pretty easy. I’m going to start my own company now.