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Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
A companion guidebook to the number-one bestselling Good to Great, focused on implementation of the flywheel concept, one of Jim Collins’ most memorable ideas that has been used across industries and the social sectors, and with startups.
The key to business success is not a single innovation or one plan. It is the act of turning the flywheel, slowly gaining momentum and eventually reaching a breakthrough. Building upon the flywheel concept introduced in his groundbreaking classic Good to Great, Jim Collins teaches readers how to create their own flywheel, how to accelerate the flywheel’s momentum, and how to stay on the flywheel in shifting markets and during times of turbulence.
Combining research from his Good to Great labs and case studies from organizations like Amazon, Vanguard, and the Cleveland Clinic which have turned their flywheels with outstanding results, Collins demonstrates that successful organizations can disrupt the world around them—and reach unprecedented success—by employing the flywheel concept.
The key to business success is not a single innovation or one plan. It is the act of turning the flywheel, slowly gaining momentum and eventually reaching a breakthrough. Building upon the flywheel concept introduced in his groundbreaking classic Good to Great, Jim Collins teaches readers how to create their own flywheel, how to accelerate the flywheel’s momentum, and how to stay on the flywheel in shifting markets and during times of turbulence.
Combining research from his Good to Great labs and case studies from organizations like Amazon, Vanguard, and the Cleveland Clinic which have turned their flywheels with outstanding results, Collins demonstrates that successful organizations can disrupt the world around them—and reach unprecedented success—by employing the flywheel concept.
46 pages, ebook
Published February 26, 2019
765 people are currently reading
3271 people want to read
About the author
Jim Collins
156 books2,759 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
March 3, 2019
This book talks in detail about the concept of Flywheel introduced in Jim Collins' book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't which I highly recommend.
It provides 7 steps to capturing your own flywheel:
1. Create a list of significant replicable successes your enterprise has achieved.
2. Compile a list of failures and disappointments.
3. Compare the successes to the disappointments and ask, “What do these successes and disappointments tell us about the possible components of our flywheel?”
4. Using the components you’ve identified (keeping it to four to six), sketch the flywheel.
5. If you have more than six components, you’re making it too complicated; consolidate and simplify to capture the essence of the flywheel.
6. Test the flywheel against your list of successes and disappointments.
7. Test the flywheel against the three circles of your Hedgehog Concept.
After describing The Flywheel concept in detail it goes through 7 examples of Flywheels across different fields:
1. Amazon.com Flywheel
Lower prices on more offerings -> Increase customer visits -> Attract third-partysellers -> Expand the store, extend distribution -> Grow revenues per fixed costs
2. Vanguard Flywheel
Lower-cost mutual funds -> Deliver superior long-term returns for clients -> Build strong client loyalty -> Grow assets under management -> Generate economies of scale
3. Intel Flywheel
Design new chips that customers crave -> Price high before competition catches up -> Drive down unit costs -> Harvest profits even as prices fall -> Reinvest profits into R&D
4. Giro Flywheel
Invent great products -> Get elite athletes to use them -> Inspire weekend warriors -> Attract mainstream customers -> Build brand power -> Set high prices and channel profits into R&D
5. Ware Elementary School Flywheel
Select teachers infused with passion -> Build collaborative improvement teams -> Assess student progress, early and often -> Achieve learning, each and every kid -> Enhance reputation as a great place to teach -> Replenish the passionate-teacher pipeline
6. Ojai Music Festival Flywheel
Attract unconventional talent -> Unleash transcendent creativity -> Forge immersive four-day experience -> Ignite passionate reactions -> Amplify community support -> Enhance local and global reputation
7. Cleveland Clinic Flywheel
Get the right medical professionals -> Cultivate a collaborative patient-centered culture -> Work across specialties for best health outcomes -> Attract patients from around the world -> Fuel the resource engine -> Invest in the best facilities, research and people
Besides showing real-life applications of The Flywheel Jim Collins also share a map for the journey from Good to Great. For the first time ever he ties all the principles from his books (Built to Last, Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall, Great by Choice) into one coherent whole.
This holistic framework consists of four stages:
Stage 1: Disciplined people
Stage 2: Disciplined thought
Stage 3: Disciplined action
Stage 4: Building to last
Inside the stages he describes the concepts from all of his books which you can read about in more detail on his website.
Both the practical application of The Flywheel and also the framework of Good to Great makes this a very good and valuable book.
It provides 7 steps to capturing your own flywheel:
1. Create a list of significant replicable successes your enterprise has achieved.
2. Compile a list of failures and disappointments.
3. Compare the successes to the disappointments and ask, “What do these successes and disappointments tell us about the possible components of our flywheel?”
4. Using the components you’ve identified (keeping it to four to six), sketch the flywheel.
5. If you have more than six components, you’re making it too complicated; consolidate and simplify to capture the essence of the flywheel.
6. Test the flywheel against your list of successes and disappointments.
7. Test the flywheel against the three circles of your Hedgehog Concept.
After describing The Flywheel concept in detail it goes through 7 examples of Flywheels across different fields:
1. Amazon.com Flywheel
Lower prices on more offerings -> Increase customer visits -> Attract third-partysellers -> Expand the store, extend distribution -> Grow revenues per fixed costs
2. Vanguard Flywheel
Lower-cost mutual funds -> Deliver superior long-term returns for clients -> Build strong client loyalty -> Grow assets under management -> Generate economies of scale
3. Intel Flywheel
Design new chips that customers crave -> Price high before competition catches up -> Drive down unit costs -> Harvest profits even as prices fall -> Reinvest profits into R&D
4. Giro Flywheel
Invent great products -> Get elite athletes to use them -> Inspire weekend warriors -> Attract mainstream customers -> Build brand power -> Set high prices and channel profits into R&D
5. Ware Elementary School Flywheel
Select teachers infused with passion -> Build collaborative improvement teams -> Assess student progress, early and often -> Achieve learning, each and every kid -> Enhance reputation as a great place to teach -> Replenish the passionate-teacher pipeline
6. Ojai Music Festival Flywheel
Attract unconventional talent -> Unleash transcendent creativity -> Forge immersive four-day experience -> Ignite passionate reactions -> Amplify community support -> Enhance local and global reputation
7. Cleveland Clinic Flywheel
Get the right medical professionals -> Cultivate a collaborative patient-centered culture -> Work across specialties for best health outcomes -> Attract patients from around the world -> Fuel the resource engine -> Invest in the best facilities, research and people
Besides showing real-life applications of The Flywheel Jim Collins also share a map for the journey from Good to Great. For the first time ever he ties all the principles from his books (Built to Last, Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall, Great by Choice) into one coherent whole.
This holistic framework consists of four stages:
Stage 1: Disciplined people
Stage 2: Disciplined thought
Stage 3: Disciplined action
Stage 4: Building to last
Inside the stages he describes the concepts from all of his books which you can read about in more detail on his website.
Both the practical application of The Flywheel and also the framework of Good to Great makes this a very good and valuable book.
October 18, 2021
Just a 38 page pamphlet but so useful. You really need to read Good to Great first but this takes one of the key concepts from that and shows how it has been the secret of Amazon and Apple’s success.
I’ve sketched out the flywheel for my own business now and found it really helpful in deciding on strategy and what really counts in a business so this could be one of my most worthwhile evenings ever!
As highly recommended as you can get if you own your own business or have an employer flexible enough that you have your own flywheel where you work.
I’ve sketched out the flywheel for my own business now and found it really helpful in deciding on strategy and what really counts in a business so this could be one of my most worthwhile evenings ever!
As highly recommended as you can get if you own your own business or have an employer flexible enough that you have your own flywheel where you work.
September 8, 2019
Just ~30 pages long and covers the "flywheel effect" concept with the perfect amount of detail and case examples.
February 18, 2024
The annual Chick-Fil-A leadership retreat, NEXT, was based around this monograph by Jim Collins. Each Operator and staff member was sent a copy of this by the Cathy family, and my wife read it out loud to us while we traveled to the conference. I've read several of Collins's books, and this is a great summary of most of them in one. I'd actually recommend this book to most people, who just want some of the highpoints from his research. The flywheel is a wonderful concept, along with his bullets to cannonballs metaphor.
April 11, 2019
¡Qué decir de este corto, pero poderoso, libro!
Para nosotros los emprendedores debe servir como una pequeña biblia de bolsillo que debemos cargar todos, y cada uno, de nuestros días en la mente.
Las grandes compañías no se crearon gracias a un momento de suerte (ojo, si sacaron el máximo provecho cuando llegó), tampoco las lideró ese famoso personaje carismático que flota por los aires en las películas y tampoco tenían necesariamente las mejores ideas del mundo.
Lo que si formaron fue una gigantesca Flywheel. Una tubería que estaba compuesta con ese procedimiento que lleva a la cima a un negocio.
Cada elemento es consecuencia del siguiente, cada paso lleva a la misma dirección: crear un momentum imparable.
Una Flywheel bien construida debe durar años, debe tener la capacidad de renovarse, de mutar, pero nunca puede parar.
Mientras ella esté girando debemos crear nuestras pequeñas balas e irlas disparando hasta atinar con el resultado que queremos.
En ese momento preparamos una gran bala de cañón que impulse por completo a la compañía.
Que eleve nuestra Flywheel.
Debemos ser disciplinados, pensar a corto y largo plazo.
Tener paranoia productiva, estar siempre pensando: ¿qué pasa si?.
Debemos estar preparados siempre, si no queremos decaer.
De esta forma consideremos resultados, generaremos un impacto y duraremos siempre.
Para nosotros los emprendedores debe servir como una pequeña biblia de bolsillo que debemos cargar todos, y cada uno, de nuestros días en la mente.
Las grandes compañías no se crearon gracias a un momento de suerte (ojo, si sacaron el máximo provecho cuando llegó), tampoco las lideró ese famoso personaje carismático que flota por los aires en las películas y tampoco tenían necesariamente las mejores ideas del mundo.
Lo que si formaron fue una gigantesca Flywheel. Una tubería que estaba compuesta con ese procedimiento que lleva a la cima a un negocio.
Cada elemento es consecuencia del siguiente, cada paso lleva a la misma dirección: crear un momentum imparable.
Una Flywheel bien construida debe durar años, debe tener la capacidad de renovarse, de mutar, pero nunca puede parar.
Mientras ella esté girando debemos crear nuestras pequeñas balas e irlas disparando hasta atinar con el resultado que queremos.
En ese momento preparamos una gran bala de cañón que impulse por completo a la compañía.
Que eleve nuestra Flywheel.
Debemos ser disciplinados, pensar a corto y largo plazo.
Tener paranoia productiva, estar siempre pensando: ¿qué pasa si?.
Debemos estar preparados siempre, si no queremos decaer.
De esta forma consideremos resultados, generaremos un impacto y duraremos siempre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2021
As an evolution of his previous books, Jim Collins shows the reader that his concepts applies to all manner and types of organizations – from small companies, to health care organizations, to non-profits, and even arts organization. It's a good add-on to the previous books, as I've always questioned if Collins principles applies to the bigtechs and the book starts after a conversation between Collins and Bezos.
This book is all about the Flywheel effect, developed in the book Good to Great, and the author presents this monograph that serves as a guide to help people to construct their own flywheel, described in seven detailed steps.
This book is all about the Flywheel effect, developed in the book Good to Great, and the author presents this monograph that serves as a guide to help people to construct their own flywheel, described in seven detailed steps.
September 28, 2022
This book is an easy read. It is billed as a monograph to accompany Good to Great. So let's start with Good to Great, a five-star business classic by Jim Collins.
One of the core concepts of Good to Great revolves around ...
So, perhaps the primary objective of your business is to create a customer-value compounding machine. One of the biggest, and most common, strategic mistakes lies in failing to aggressively and persistently make the most of victories.
The author lists seven essential steps to capturing your flywheel. Think of your flywheel as your business architecture, a circular diagram that helps you to do more of the things that succeed and less of the things that disappoint.
The seventh and final step is to test your flywheel against ...
One of the core concepts of Good to Great revolves around ...
The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: The process of relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond.Once you succeed in generating flywheel momentum in your particular circumstance you can access almost unstoppable compounded growth.
So, perhaps the primary objective of your business is to create a customer-value compounding machine. One of the biggest, and most common, strategic mistakes lies in failing to aggressively and persistently make the most of victories.
The author lists seven essential steps to capturing your flywheel. Think of your flywheel as your business architecture, a circular diagram that helps you to do more of the things that succeed and less of the things that disappoint.
The seventh and final step is to test your flywheel against ...
The Hedgehog Concept: If you cannot be the best in the world at your core business, then your core business absolutely cannot form the basis of a great company.The bottom line in transitioning your operation from Good to Great:
Exit definitively or renew obsessively, but never—ever—neglect your flywheel.Access Gene Babon's reviews of books on Business Leadership and Business Strategy at Pinterest.
October 18, 2021
Finally a business book that understands that its message can and should be distilled to less than 40 pages! Valuable ideas that are communicated with brevity. Thank you.
“In looking across the history of great companies in all our research studies, we find a frequent pattern. They usually begin life being successful in a specific business arena, making the most of their early big bets. But soon they make a conceptual shift from “running a business” to turning a flywheel. And over time, they extend that flywheel by firing bullets, then cannonballs. They crank the flywheel in their first arena of success, while simultaneously firing bullets to discover new things that might work, and as a hedge against uncertainty.”
“In looking across the history of great companies in all our research studies, we find a frequent pattern. They usually begin life being successful in a specific business arena, making the most of their early big bets. But soon they make a conceptual shift from “running a business” to turning a flywheel. And over time, they extend that flywheel by firing bullets, then cannonballs. They crank the flywheel in their first arena of success, while simultaneously firing bullets to discover new things that might work, and as a hedge against uncertainty.”
April 11, 2021
Over de Nederlandse versie: Het vliegwieleffect:
Steeds een klein duwtje geven, in dezelfde richting, en blijven duwen: zo start je een vliegwiel, dat daardoor steeds sneller gaat draaien. Deze metafoor gebruikt Jim Collins in zijn bestseller Good to Great, als één van de methoden om blijvend succesvol te zijn. Begin 2021 kwam in Nederland zijn monografie uit over het vliegwieleffect, met recente voorbeelden van bedrijven.
Het vliegwieleffect is opvallend kort, zoals veel boeken uit de ‘Business Bibliotheek’ serie van Uitgeverij Business Contact. In nog geen 100 klein formaat pagina’s wordt dit concept uit Good to Great uit 2001 uitgewerkt. De kern is dat de overgang van een goed bedrijf naar een geweldig bedrijf nooit in één klap komt. Daar wordt geduldig, soms jarenlang aan gebouwd, stap voor stap. In zijn klassieker gebruikt Collins met name het voorbeeld van Circuit City, op dit moment best wel onbekend. Fijn dus dat in Het vliegwieleffect aansprekende bedrijven als Amazon, Vanguard en Intel aan bod komen.
De 4 fase van het vliegwiel
In de G2G versie is het vliegwiel een cirkel met 4 fasen:
1. Een stapje vooruit doen volgens het Egelprincipe
2. Steeds meer zichtbare resultaten
3. Mensen raken nog gemotiveerder en energieker door dit succes
4. Het vliegwiel krijgt vaart
5. Terug bij 1. Weer een stapje vooruit
Hoe ontwerp je een vliegwiel?
In Het vliegwieleffect wordt de nadruk meer gelegd op het ontwerpen van het vliegwiel, met 9 stappen:
1. Maak een lijst van de significatie, reproduceerbare successen
2. Idem voor de teleurstellingen
3. Vergelijk en analyseer, welke onderdelen springen eruit
4. Schets je vliegwiel met die onderdelen (4 -6, niet meer)
5. Vereenvoudig en zoek naar de essentie
6. Test je vliegwiel met empirisch bewijs, kun je je successen met dit vliegwiel uitleggen?
7. Vergelijk je vliegwiel met je drie cirkels van het Egelprincipe
Het Egelprincipe laat je focussen op die activiteiten waarvoor je passie hebt, waarin je het allerbeste bent, en wat geld oplevert. In het boekje is een korte samenvatting van dit principe opgenomen.
Amazon, Vanguard, Intel
Voor Amazon ziet het vliegwiel er nu zo uit:
1. Lagere prijzen en een breder aanbod
2. Dit verhoogt de klantbezoeken
3. Dit trekt commissie betalende externe verkopers aan om óók via Amazon te verkopen
4. Dit schaalvoordeel leidt tot een grotere winkel, en betere distributie
5. Op de vaste lasten wordt nu meer marge gehaald
6. Terug naar 1: lagere prijzen
Eerlijk gezegd vond ik dit voorbeeld, en ook dat van Vanguard, erg voor-de-hand-liggen: goedkope producten, veel klanten, schaalvoordeel, nog goedkopere producten. Bij Intel ligt de focus meer op innovatieve producten – hoge marge - veel investeringen in R&D.
Misschien is juist het feit dat het zo simpel is, wel de kracht van dit boekje. Als het Bezos lukt met een simpel idee, een simpel vliegwiel, waarom jou dan niet?
Onderhoud, uitbreiding en vastlopen
Natuurlijk moet het vliegwiel onderhouden worden (innovatie). Hiervoor put Collins uit zijn boek Built to Last, en het principe 'Genie van het EN'. Ga ervan uit dat je je vliegwiel zowel kunt verstevigen als kunt vervangen, tegelijkertijd.
Ook moet het vliegwiel uitgebreid worden, als het niet lukt de vaart erin te houden door alleen te onderhouden. Voor dit onderdeel wordt teruggegrepen op zijn boek Great by Choice: Eerst (geweer)kogels, dan kanonskogels. Probeer eerst iets met kleine experimenten, en als die succesvol zijn ga je er helemaal voor.
Amazon heeft zijn vliegwiel uitgebreid met Amazon Web Services, wat een service is aan bedrijven die op exact dezelfde onderdelen is gestoeld als de onlinewinkel: lage prijzen, meer aanbod, schaalvoordeel, nog lagere prijzen. Als een twee-eiige tweeling.
Het vastlopen van het vliegwiel koppelt Collins aan How the Mighty Fall: het loslaten van principes, onbeproefde strategieën, onlogische overnames. Niet meer dezelfde kant opduwen, in vliegwieltermen.
Evaluatie
Het boekje eindigt met een hele korte samenvatting van de principes uit Good to Great, waarin ook de principes uit zijn andere boeken zijn verweven. Een feest der herkenning als je die hebt gelezen! Maar waarschijnlijk te kort door de bocht als je ze niet kent.
Waarin dit boekje natuurlijk ook afwijkt van de eerdere bestsellers, is de mate van onderbouwing. Collins deed per boek jarenlang onderzoek bij honderden bedrijven. Voor dit boekje lijkt dit niet het geval geweest te zijn, het is gebaseerd op enkele interviews of een autobiografie. Het voordeel hiervan is natuurlijk dat het erg actueel is.
Heb je wel eens van het werk van Collins gehoord, maar ken je het niet, dan is dit een aardige introductie. Ik verwacht dat je direct één van de onderliggende boeken koopt voor meer achtergrond. Degenen die lang, lang geleden zijn klassiekers gelezen hebben, zullen veel meer aan dit boekje hebben, het is een prima opfrisser.
Prettig is dat het je herinnert aan een oude waarheid: alle begin is moeilijk. Maar als het eenmaal loopt, gaat het steeds harder. Niet opgeven dus, maar duwen! En het verschil met trekken aan een dood paard kennen ...
Elly Stroo Cloeck is project- en interim-manager op het gebied van Finance, Internal Audit en Risk Management. Daarnaast schrijft ze recensies en samenvattingen van managementboeken. Kijk eens op haar website!
Steeds een klein duwtje geven, in dezelfde richting, en blijven duwen: zo start je een vliegwiel, dat daardoor steeds sneller gaat draaien. Deze metafoor gebruikt Jim Collins in zijn bestseller Good to Great, als één van de methoden om blijvend succesvol te zijn. Begin 2021 kwam in Nederland zijn monografie uit over het vliegwieleffect, met recente voorbeelden van bedrijven.
Het vliegwieleffect is opvallend kort, zoals veel boeken uit de ‘Business Bibliotheek’ serie van Uitgeverij Business Contact. In nog geen 100 klein formaat pagina’s wordt dit concept uit Good to Great uit 2001 uitgewerkt. De kern is dat de overgang van een goed bedrijf naar een geweldig bedrijf nooit in één klap komt. Daar wordt geduldig, soms jarenlang aan gebouwd, stap voor stap. In zijn klassieker gebruikt Collins met name het voorbeeld van Circuit City, op dit moment best wel onbekend. Fijn dus dat in Het vliegwieleffect aansprekende bedrijven als Amazon, Vanguard en Intel aan bod komen.
De 4 fase van het vliegwiel
In de G2G versie is het vliegwiel een cirkel met 4 fasen:
1. Een stapje vooruit doen volgens het Egelprincipe
2. Steeds meer zichtbare resultaten
3. Mensen raken nog gemotiveerder en energieker door dit succes
4. Het vliegwiel krijgt vaart
5. Terug bij 1. Weer een stapje vooruit
Hoe ontwerp je een vliegwiel?
In Het vliegwieleffect wordt de nadruk meer gelegd op het ontwerpen van het vliegwiel, met 9 stappen:
1. Maak een lijst van de significatie, reproduceerbare successen
2. Idem voor de teleurstellingen
3. Vergelijk en analyseer, welke onderdelen springen eruit
4. Schets je vliegwiel met die onderdelen (4 -6, niet meer)
5. Vereenvoudig en zoek naar de essentie
6. Test je vliegwiel met empirisch bewijs, kun je je successen met dit vliegwiel uitleggen?
7. Vergelijk je vliegwiel met je drie cirkels van het Egelprincipe
Het Egelprincipe laat je focussen op die activiteiten waarvoor je passie hebt, waarin je het allerbeste bent, en wat geld oplevert. In het boekje is een korte samenvatting van dit principe opgenomen.
Amazon, Vanguard, Intel
Voor Amazon ziet het vliegwiel er nu zo uit:
1. Lagere prijzen en een breder aanbod
2. Dit verhoogt de klantbezoeken
3. Dit trekt commissie betalende externe verkopers aan om óók via Amazon te verkopen
4. Dit schaalvoordeel leidt tot een grotere winkel, en betere distributie
5. Op de vaste lasten wordt nu meer marge gehaald
6. Terug naar 1: lagere prijzen
Eerlijk gezegd vond ik dit voorbeeld, en ook dat van Vanguard, erg voor-de-hand-liggen: goedkope producten, veel klanten, schaalvoordeel, nog goedkopere producten. Bij Intel ligt de focus meer op innovatieve producten – hoge marge - veel investeringen in R&D.
Misschien is juist het feit dat het zo simpel is, wel de kracht van dit boekje. Als het Bezos lukt met een simpel idee, een simpel vliegwiel, waarom jou dan niet?
Onderhoud, uitbreiding en vastlopen
Natuurlijk moet het vliegwiel onderhouden worden (innovatie). Hiervoor put Collins uit zijn boek Built to Last, en het principe 'Genie van het EN'. Ga ervan uit dat je je vliegwiel zowel kunt verstevigen als kunt vervangen, tegelijkertijd.
Ook moet het vliegwiel uitgebreid worden, als het niet lukt de vaart erin te houden door alleen te onderhouden. Voor dit onderdeel wordt teruggegrepen op zijn boek Great by Choice: Eerst (geweer)kogels, dan kanonskogels. Probeer eerst iets met kleine experimenten, en als die succesvol zijn ga je er helemaal voor.
Amazon heeft zijn vliegwiel uitgebreid met Amazon Web Services, wat een service is aan bedrijven die op exact dezelfde onderdelen is gestoeld als de onlinewinkel: lage prijzen, meer aanbod, schaalvoordeel, nog lagere prijzen. Als een twee-eiige tweeling.
Het vastlopen van het vliegwiel koppelt Collins aan How the Mighty Fall: het loslaten van principes, onbeproefde strategieën, onlogische overnames. Niet meer dezelfde kant opduwen, in vliegwieltermen.
Evaluatie
Het boekje eindigt met een hele korte samenvatting van de principes uit Good to Great, waarin ook de principes uit zijn andere boeken zijn verweven. Een feest der herkenning als je die hebt gelezen! Maar waarschijnlijk te kort door de bocht als je ze niet kent.
Waarin dit boekje natuurlijk ook afwijkt van de eerdere bestsellers, is de mate van onderbouwing. Collins deed per boek jarenlang onderzoek bij honderden bedrijven. Voor dit boekje lijkt dit niet het geval geweest te zijn, het is gebaseerd op enkele interviews of een autobiografie. Het voordeel hiervan is natuurlijk dat het erg actueel is.
Heb je wel eens van het werk van Collins gehoord, maar ken je het niet, dan is dit een aardige introductie. Ik verwacht dat je direct één van de onderliggende boeken koopt voor meer achtergrond. Degenen die lang, lang geleden zijn klassiekers gelezen hebben, zullen veel meer aan dit boekje hebben, het is een prima opfrisser.
Prettig is dat het je herinnert aan een oude waarheid: alle begin is moeilijk. Maar als het eenmaal loopt, gaat het steeds harder. Niet opgeven dus, maar duwen! En het verschil met trekken aan een dood paard kennen ...
Elly Stroo Cloeck is project- en interim-manager op het gebied van Finance, Internal Audit en Risk Management. Daarnaast schrijft ze recensies en samenvattingen van managementboeken. Kijk eens op haar website!
May 8, 2019
Features one solid idea (that a great strategy is a “flywheel” of interconnected sub-strategies), and doesn’t beat it to death. One of the very few business publications I have read that I wish to have been longer.
November 10, 2020
System based management turns momentum into progress, and progress into lasting impact. The FlyWheel system with its Disciplines and Principles help identify what is need to help any flywheel churn, and leave an astounding impact.
April 23, 2019
Always a solid read. Key takeaways for me that I haven't thought about before: I normally looked at the flywheel as just a momentum builder within an organization that continues to speed up. However, now I think a more true analogy to Jim Collins fly wheel is the addition of how each components that you put on the flywheel all build into each other and have an exponential effect on the sum. Reviewing your flywheel periodically to make sure that each segment builds into the next is probably a wise thing to do annually.
January 9, 2023
Good little monograph.
Several of the principles are very helpful in figuring out what your flywheel looks like. I also wish he would have spent a bit of time exploring what an "anti-flywheel" or how flywheels can work out in counter-productive ways and how to assess them, but I suppose it's up to the reader to sort that for themselves.
8.4/10
Several of the principles are very helpful in figuring out what your flywheel looks like. I also wish he would have spent a bit of time exploring what an "anti-flywheel" or how flywheels can work out in counter-productive ways and how to assess them, but I suppose it's up to the reader to sort that for themselves.
8.4/10
August 22, 2024
I give it a 3 because I write this review a while after completing the book and I don't remember anything. Might be because it's so short, or that I have read two other books by same author talking about this principle as well, so I can't differentiate the books. Sorry
October 28, 2022
The concept of flywheels is awesome and powerful, but book could go further in dissecting the hands on work on creating or fixing them. Also quite annoying that instead of going deeper on some concepts it simple refferences other books of his ex built to last, good to great. Still would recommend the read especially this short
December 13, 2022
What is your company's flywheel? The concept gives you a systematic view of your firm's processes.
Read
May 21, 2025the same strategic visionary who can focus all his old white male hindsight male. no wonder the media loves people like him.
March 13, 2022
Great insight on how to create a continuously spinning momentum in your organization, whether for revenue or any other metric.
January 16, 2019
This is monograph that is made as a little essay to accompany author's book, "Good to great."
It discusses flywheel concept of building a big enterprise based on few key steps which are interrelated and influential on each other.
Big corporations make a good flywheel, stick to it, renovate it, turn it repeatedly till they get breakthrough and momentum.
.
He also describes why companies fail and how great companies stay strong and becone bigger with time.
.
There are examples of big companies like Apple, Intel, Vangaurd and many more.
.
Book is insightful, simple and enjoyable.
It is concise but still overflowing with information which is really practical and well researched.
Book also details basic concepts for making a lasting organisation and how to kerp it relevent during stress snd how to advance it.
Very nice work by the masterful business teacher.
.
I recommend to every nonfiction lover. Read it over a cup of coffee and you will be thanking yourself for picking this one up .
.
Thanks to publisher and edelweiss plus for review ecopy.
It discusses flywheel concept of building a big enterprise based on few key steps which are interrelated and influential on each other.
Big corporations make a good flywheel, stick to it, renovate it, turn it repeatedly till they get breakthrough and momentum.
.
He also describes why companies fail and how great companies stay strong and becone bigger with time.
.
There are examples of big companies like Apple, Intel, Vangaurd and many more.
.
Book is insightful, simple and enjoyable.
It is concise but still overflowing with information which is really practical and well researched.
Book also details basic concepts for making a lasting organisation and how to kerp it relevent during stress snd how to advance it.
Very nice work by the masterful business teacher.
.
I recommend to every nonfiction lover. Read it over a cup of coffee and you will be thanking yourself for picking this one up .
.
Thanks to publisher and edelweiss plus for review ecopy.
May 8, 2019
Very nice most recent summary of Jim Collins' concepts on greatness of enterprises and their leaders with the zoom on the concept of the flywheel - I would say, giving just enough information about it to inspire to think about one's own organisational or personal set of reoccurring actions indispensable for continuous growth.
The book is little in size and is meant to be read with another author's book, Good to Great. It will be a good add on for the ones knowing the school of Jim Collins. Will probably be too much out of context for the others.
If you want to learn more about Jim Collins and his unique approach and personality, I warmly recommend a recent podcast of Tim Ferris hosting the man himself.
The book is little in size and is meant to be read with another author's book, Good to Great. It will be a good add on for the ones knowing the school of Jim Collins. Will probably be too much out of context for the others.
If you want to learn more about Jim Collins and his unique approach and personality, I warmly recommend a recent podcast of Tim Ferris hosting the man himself.
March 6, 2024
4,5 stars; strangely enough this had a lot more value than the author's original work Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't; succinct, concise and the introduction of a very useful metaphor for thinking about business and life; initiating and maintaining your 'flywheels'; 'getting stuck', 'rolling along in life' and 'firing on all cilinders' get an instantly appealing image.
June 18, 2019
Simple, clear and easily applicable
Jim Collins' work is so well thought out that it naturally hangs together and make sense in a number of contexts. You could easily apply the flywheel idea to just about anything. It's not the model but the understanding of what you're applying it to that is really important. Especially important is that it's not a goal or state but a continual process.
Great reading.
Jim Collins' work is so well thought out that it naturally hangs together and make sense in a number of contexts. You could easily apply the flywheel idea to just about anything. It's not the model but the understanding of what you're applying it to that is really important. Especially important is that it's not a goal or state but a continual process.
Great reading.
March 11, 2019
Solid, simple, straightforward companion to Good to Great.
Thank you to Jim Collins, and a note to so many others: There is no need to write a book when a monograph will do. 5 stars for recognizing that.
Thank you to Jim Collins, and a note to so many others: There is no need to write a book when a monograph will do. 5 stars for recognizing that.
October 25, 2019
Good expansion on a business metaphor with thorough research. Must read.
December 19, 2019
Incredibly stimulating, and a much-needed expansion on the idea introduced in Good to Great.
March 31, 2022
By comparing the components of past successes and failures and tinkering them into a systematic cycle, a flywheel, the architecture of profitability becomes clear, able to be improved, and able to be accelerated.
Contains about twenty example flywheels.
Not just a business book but rather a book that explains a universal principle: how and why do some complex systems compound and others do not?
Because of its universal value, more attention to other applications might have increased the impact, but what the book sacrifices in breadth it compensates with brevity.
We must distinguish between cyclical flywheel processes and the natural and creative processes, though. Flywheels concern only measurable successes.
Many intriguing intersections stem from this big idea of the flywheel: the Stockdale paradox, the Hedgehog test, and the X10 luck principle, and the author often refers readers to his other books for more information. Fair enough.
It is instructive to situate this book with Kaufman's 10 tests for the market in Portable MBA, the two books on Life Design from the Stanford course, which situate the flywheel in a larger context, the book Thinking In Bets, and the wider business literature on luck. The authors attempts to contextualise the flywheel end up sending readers to his other books anyway.
This feels like a deep universal principle. The book feels necessary. And it delivers a lot more than what it promises. .
So I give it the highest recommendationm
Contains about twenty example flywheels.
Not just a business book but rather a book that explains a universal principle: how and why do some complex systems compound and others do not?
Because of its universal value, more attention to other applications might have increased the impact, but what the book sacrifices in breadth it compensates with brevity.
We must distinguish between cyclical flywheel processes and the natural and creative processes, though. Flywheels concern only measurable successes.
Many intriguing intersections stem from this big idea of the flywheel: the Stockdale paradox, the Hedgehog test, and the X10 luck principle, and the author often refers readers to his other books for more information. Fair enough.
It is instructive to situate this book with Kaufman's 10 tests for the market in Portable MBA, the two books on Life Design from the Stanford course, which situate the flywheel in a larger context, the book Thinking In Bets, and the wider business literature on luck. The authors attempts to contextualise the flywheel end up sending readers to his other books anyway.
This feels like a deep universal principle. The book feels necessary. And it delivers a lot more than what it promises. .
So I give it the highest recommendationm
June 5, 2023
Title: Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great
Review:
"Turning the Flywheel" by Jim Collins serves as an impactful distillation of the concepts that Collins has expounded upon throughout his impressive body of work. It is an efficient and succinct exploration of his foundational ideas, beautifully condensed into an accessible read.
At the core of the book is the idea of crafting an effective flywheel - a mechanism for sustainable business momentum - and the relentless focus on turning it until it reaches a self-propelling momentum. This concept is a perfect representation of Collins' strategic approach to business success, and he skillfully presents it in this monograph.
What I particularly appreciate is the brief but comprehensive summary of key concepts from Collins' previous works, namely "Good to Great," "Built to Last," and "Great by Choice," which is neatly tucked at the end of the book. This serves as a valuable recap for those familiar with his earlier books, and a tantalizing glimpse for those who are new to his ideas.
Overall, "Turning the Flywheel" serves as a valuable standalone read while also complementing Collins' other works. It expertly combines decades of insight into a compact guide, making it an excellent resource for anyone interested in the essentials of enduring business success.
March 18, 2021
Very short. Great overview of why flywheels (mutually reinforcing components of a company's strategy) are important, but does not contain useful advice for how to engineer flywheels for your company
Main points were:
1. Never underestimate the power of a great flywheel, especially when it builds compounding momentum over a very long time. Once you get your flywheel right, you want to renew and extend it for decades
2. One of the biggest and most common strategic mistakes lies in failing to aggressively and persistently make the most of victories. One reason for this is that leaders become seduced by an endless search for the Next Big Thing. Don't abandon a great flywheel when it would be a superior strategy to sustain, renew, and extend
3. For a truly great company, the Big Thing is never any specific line of business or product or idea or invention. It is your underlying flywheel architecture, properly conceived
4. The nature of the flywheel is that every component depends on every other component. You simply cannot falter on any primary component and sustain momentum. When your business depends on a flywheel, flawless execution across all components is key
Main points were:
1. Never underestimate the power of a great flywheel, especially when it builds compounding momentum over a very long time. Once you get your flywheel right, you want to renew and extend it for decades
2. One of the biggest and most common strategic mistakes lies in failing to aggressively and persistently make the most of victories. One reason for this is that leaders become seduced by an endless search for the Next Big Thing. Don't abandon a great flywheel when it would be a superior strategy to sustain, renew, and extend
3. For a truly great company, the Big Thing is never any specific line of business or product or idea or invention. It is your underlying flywheel architecture, properly conceived
4. The nature of the flywheel is that every component depends on every other component. You simply cannot falter on any primary component and sustain momentum. When your business depends on a flywheel, flawless execution across all components is key
Want to read
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➤Email access associated with Perfect Money
➤A verified account with a photo and ID
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➤Name, full address, SSN, and all other details are added
➤Send and receive unlimited money with the account
➤ USA, UK, CA, AU, and all other countries’ Perfect Money accounts are available
September 16, 2021
DISCIPLINE. That's the one word review of this book.
Don't try to cut butter with the back of a spoon. Use a knife. What's your knife?
Your knife is the flywheel. Building your flywheel is like sharpening your knife.
The flywheel is really compound interest applied to business. And that's why you need discipline. With compound interest, the returns are low at the beginning, but if you keep pushing through, you'll get huge results seemingly effortlessly.
That's why you need to be monogamous. (I'm thinking of businesses but it also works in relationships). Don't stop compound interest just before they would have started benefiting you. Keep focusing on a single business idea.
Bonus: The appendix is a bomb of concepts. The book is already so dense since it's only 50 pages. But the appendix is only 10 pages and it summaries all of Collins concepts.
Probably this "monograph" is the best entry book to Collins work.
Don't try to cut butter with the back of a spoon. Use a knife. What's your knife?
Your knife is the flywheel. Building your flywheel is like sharpening your knife.
The flywheel is really compound interest applied to business. And that's why you need discipline. With compound interest, the returns are low at the beginning, but if you keep pushing through, you'll get huge results seemingly effortlessly.
That's why you need to be monogamous. (I'm thinking of businesses but it also works in relationships). Don't stop compound interest just before they would have started benefiting you. Keep focusing on a single business idea.
Bonus: The appendix is a bomb of concepts. The book is already so dense since it's only 50 pages. But the appendix is only 10 pages and it summaries all of Collins concepts.
Probably this "monograph" is the best entry book to Collins work.
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