What do you think?
Rate this book
Good To Great by Jim Collins| Quickie Book Summary
Good to Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't is a 2001 management book by James C. Collins that aims to describe how companies transition from being average companies to great companies and how companies can fail to make the transition. “Good to Great” attained long-running positions on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Business Week best-seller lists, sold 2.5 million hardcover copies since publication, and has been translated into 32 languages."Greatness" is defined as financial performance several multiples better than the market average over a sustained period. Collins finds the main factor for achieving the transition to be a narrow focusing of the company’s resources on their field of competence. Collins used a large team of researchers who studied "6,000 articles, generated more than 2,000 pages of interview transcripts and created 384 megabytes of computer data in a five-year project". In this book summary of "Good to Great" you can discover the condensed wisdom to be gained from the book. You can discover what differences there were in companies that managed to achieve greatness. Do you want to know the characteristics of a leader most likely to take their company from good to great? Do you want to know how to hire the right people? The book summary includes information on each of the topics covered in “Good To Great” in a format that will help you while reducing the time required for reading the entire book.Chapter Good is the Enemy of GreatChapter Level 5 Leadership Chapter First Who… Then What Chapter Confront the Brutal Facts Chapter The Hedgehog Concept Chapter A Culture of DisciplineChapter Technology AcceleratorsChapter The Flywheel and the Doom LoopChapter From Good to Great to Built to LastThe author of “Good to Great”, James C. "Jim" Collins, III is an American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth. Jim Collins frequently contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune and other magazines, journals, etc. Collins began his research and teaching career on the faculty at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and teaches executives from the corporate and social sectors.
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2012
203 people are currently reading
1035 people want to read
About the author
Jim Collins
95 books2,777 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
James C. Collins is an American researcher, author, speaker and consultant focused on the subject of business management and company sustainability and growth.
James C. Collins is an American researcher, author, speaker and consultant focused on the subject of business management and company sustainability and growth.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 22, 2019
Informative Read
I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a quick read that gave a light overview of the characteristics companies and leadership teams go through to maintain or transform a company to be successful. It mostly discussed how following a set of values and the leadership's persistence in that goal influences the organization.
I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a quick read that gave a light overview of the characteristics companies and leadership teams go through to maintain or transform a company to be successful. It mostly discussed how following a set of values and the leadership's persistence in that goal influences the organization.
March 5, 2018
This is not a very good summary. It's vague and wishy-washy. It gives you a gist of the full book, which after reading this summary I decided not to bother reading. Plus, the writing is not very good.
July 31, 2025
A blueprint for turning good companies into great ones
Jim Collins's Good to Great is a monumental work of business research that provides a compelling roadmap for any organization aiming to move beyond mediocrity. The book answers a single, powerful question: Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how? Collins and his research team spent years analyzing a select group of companies that made the leap to sustained greatness, and their findings are both surprising and counterintuitive.
Instead of focusing on charismatic CEOs or groundbreaking technology, Collins's research identifies a series of foundational principles that were consistently applied by the "great" companies. These principles, which he organizes into a clear framework, include:
Level 5 Leadership: Leaders who possess a powerful blend of personal humility and fierce professional will, prioritizing the company's success above their own ego.
First Who, Then What: The most crucial decisions are not about where to go, but about getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats—and the wrong people off the bus.
The Hedgehog Concept: A simple, crystalline idea that comes from a deep understanding of three intersecting circles: what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine.
A Culture of Discipline: A system where disciplined people, who engage in disciplined thought, take disciplined action.
What makes this book so valuable is its rigorous, evidence-based approach. It's not a collection of anecdotes, but a structured analysis of what truly works. The concepts are timeless and applicable not just to large corporations, but to teams and individuals seeking to create lasting excellence.
Jim Collins's Good to Great is a monumental work of business research that provides a compelling roadmap for any organization aiming to move beyond mediocrity. The book answers a single, powerful question: Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how? Collins and his research team spent years analyzing a select group of companies that made the leap to sustained greatness, and their findings are both surprising and counterintuitive.
Instead of focusing on charismatic CEOs or groundbreaking technology, Collins's research identifies a series of foundational principles that were consistently applied by the "great" companies. These principles, which he organizes into a clear framework, include:
Level 5 Leadership: Leaders who possess a powerful blend of personal humility and fierce professional will, prioritizing the company's success above their own ego.
First Who, Then What: The most crucial decisions are not about where to go, but about getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats—and the wrong people off the bus.
The Hedgehog Concept: A simple, crystalline idea that comes from a deep understanding of three intersecting circles: what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine.
A Culture of Discipline: A system where disciplined people, who engage in disciplined thought, take disciplined action.
What makes this book so valuable is its rigorous, evidence-based approach. It's not a collection of anecdotes, but a structured analysis of what truly works. The concepts are timeless and applicable not just to large corporations, but to teams and individuals seeking to create lasting excellence.
October 16, 2025
I just finished reading Good to Great by Jim Collins, and I found it very helpful and interesting. The book explains how some companies manage to become truly great while others stay average. It uses real examples and research to back up its points.
One idea I really liked was Level 5 Leadership—leaders who are both humble and determined to succeed. I also found the Hedgehog Concept useful, which is about focusing on what your company does best, what you're passionate about, and what makes money.
The Flywheel Effect was another strong idea. It shows how steady and consistent effort can build big success over time.
Some parts of the book were a bit repetitive, but overall, I think it’s a great read for business owners, leaders, or anyone interested in improving their work or organization.
One idea I really liked was Level 5 Leadership—leaders who are both humble and determined to succeed. I also found the Hedgehog Concept useful, which is about focusing on what your company does best, what you're passionate about, and what makes money.
The Flywheel Effect was another strong idea. It shows how steady and consistent effort can build big success over time.
Some parts of the book were a bit repetitive, but overall, I think it’s a great read for business owners, leaders, or anyone interested in improving their work or organization.
November 9, 2024
Collins’s book was groundbreaking when it was published, but many of the 'great' companies he highlighted have since struggled or declined. The examples might be less useful than they once were.
The success metrics in Good to Great don’t always hold up under scrutiny. In today’s environment, relying too heavily on past success stories can lead to unrealistic expectations.
The success metrics in Good to Great don’t always hold up under scrutiny. In today’s environment, relying too heavily on past success stories can lead to unrealistic expectations.
April 4, 2019
İşletmeler için başucu kitabı
June 13, 2019
Book report from high schooler
Poorly written. Feels like a high school students book report if it wasn’t required for my class I would have never read it.
Poorly written. Feels like a high school students book report if it wasn’t required for my class I would have never read it.
October 21, 2019
Good for a quick read
Some good points in here for leadership ideas. And it's good to read as a summary too. I don't think you miss anything not reading the whole book.
Some good points in here for leadership ideas. And it's good to read as a summary too. I don't think you miss anything not reading the whole book.
June 11, 2021
Very nice book, a bit theoretical, but very practical concept easy to be applied.
Read
May 5, 2024Good
April 3, 2023
Awesome Read
This book is powerful in so many ways. My thoughts on it is perfection because to go from Good to Great, you must have passion first then profits follow.
This book is powerful in so many ways. My thoughts on it is perfection because to go from Good to Great, you must have passion first then profits follow.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews