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GOOD TO GREAT
Jim Collins
Level 5 Executive Leadership is the first principle that transforms a business from good to great
and refers to that kind of leadership that let the employees be independent and responsible. The
employees are not told what they should or should not do, but they are guided, depending on the
level they work. Following a pyramid, the author starts with highly capable individual or
independent and finishes up with level 5 executive.
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The second principle, First Who, Then What, is related to change. Leaders must have a new
vision when they want to make a change. Jim Collins explains it through a very good metaphor.
Executives who made things from good to great did not first ask where to drive the bus, then get
the people to take it there, but they first got the right people on the bus and the unsuitable people
off and then decided where to drive it. Who questions must come before what decisions
before vision, before strategy, before organization structure, before tactics.
Confront the Brutal Facts (But Never Lose Faith in the Potential for Greatness) is one of the
most realistic advices for a business leader. This step involves a lot of communication with each
of the employees, expressing that a leader should start asking first what is going wrong within
the business and invite the entire employees share their opinion, no matter they level. You never
know where the idea comes from
Getting the Hedgehog Concept is a repetitive process, understanding of what you can be the best
at and, almost equally important, what you cannot be the best at. Here, the author tells us about
three main factors that contribute to this principle adoption, which he calls key dimensions: at
what you can be the best in the world, what drives your economic engine and what you are
deeply passionate about. Good-to great companies decided to encourage its employees to do only
those things that they could get passionate about. Discover which is everyone`s passion, you can
be sure that your employees won`t quite too soon, as this is a deep source of motivation, people
feeling happy and satisfied with their work.
The culture of Discipline is the principle which refers mostly to Standards of Internal Control
and to other internal rules. A culture of discipline requires disciplined, the single most important
form of discipline for sustained results being the adherence to the Hedgehog Concept and the
willingness to face opportunities.
A really valuable advice from Jim Collins, linked to this principle is: Stop doing lists are more
important than to do lists. He focuses more on the bad behaviors, as they pull on the trigger.
We all know how much technology has evolved lately. So, technology accelerators are another
important principle that should be adopted by a good company, in order to become great. They
should avoid technology fads but become pioneers in applying carefully selected technologies.
The key technology question is does it fit your Hedgehog concept? If yes, then becoming a
pioneer in the technology makes sense. If no, you can settle for parity or ignore it entirely.
The last, but the most significant principle proposed by Jim Collins is the Flywheel and the
Doom Loop test. He suggests a set of questions through which you can figure out what type your
business is.
In conclusion, this book is really a good one, as most of people think first of what are their
strengths to emphasize them and this is maybe one of the worst mistakes. What Jim Collins
realized through this book is applicable both in business and in our personal life. We should ask
more often what is wrong with us and try to solve our weaknesses. In this way, we will be able to
do this at work too. Because this is life about: discovering and create a better you everyday.