Good To Great Review

1472 Words3 Pages

Jim Collins and his research team have done a wonderful job identifying what it takes for a company to go from good to great. I found this book to be extremely interesting and would like to share several of my thoughts.

I agree with Jim Collins when he states that people can develop into level 5 leaders. The main focus of a level 5 leader is not on themselves, but on the company and how they can make it great. People need to find that cause, work, or activity that pulls the level 5 out of them. If you're not doing something that you are passionate about, you can never become a level 5 leader. Level 5 leaders will do whatever it takes to make their company great, and finding that something special you care about will help you in becoming a level 5 leader.

I think most people think of great leaders as very famous, wealthy, charismatic, and powerful. This is probably why many level 5 leaders aren't chosen for top spots in organizations. Many people feel that these big, outspoken, much publicized leaders are going to be the best for an organization. When, as Jim Collins has pointed out, that couldn't be further from the truth.

It's interesting to read about the great leaders discussed in this book and that they are very different from what most people think. Many great leaders are quiet, shy, reserved, and modest. I had never heard of any of the good to great CEO's that Jim Collins talks about in this book. It's too bad they weren't more well known which might have influenced other CEO's to follow some of their methods and ideas to transform more companies to great.

Getting the right people on the bus (and in the right seat), getting the right people off the bus, and then deciding where to drive it are important concepts that the author has frequently referenced. These concepts are essential to a company if they want to become great. A great quote from the book is "People are not your best asset, the right people are."

So how do you know if you have the right people? It starts with the hiring process. I love the idea of hiring outstanding people whenever and wherever you find them, even if you don't have a specific job for them in mind.

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