The best business life book I've read for years, From Good to Great Company, Ways to Permanent Success, is the result of 5 years of research and work by master writer Jim Collins. Especially the first three and the fifth chapters of the book should be read by the managers who want to bring the companies they work for or own to perfection: 1. Good is the Enemy of Great 2. Level Five Leadership 3. Who First... Then What 5. The Hedgehog Concept. Here are some quotes from the book for you to get some idea:
..."Those who built the good-to-great companies weren’t motivated by fear. They weren’t driven by fear of what they didn’t understand. They weren’t driven by fear of looking like a chump. They weren’t driven by fear of watching others hit it big while they didn’t. They weren’t driven by the fear of being hammered by the competition.
No, those who turn good into great are motivated by a deep creative urge and an inner compulsion for sheer unadulterated excellence for its own sake. Those who build and perpetuate mediocrity, in contrast, are motivated more by the fear of being left behind ...
... Clearly, the good-to-great companies did get incredible commitment and alignment—they artfully managed change—but they never really spent much time thinking about it. It was utterly transparent to them. We learned that under the right conditions, the problems of commitment, alignment, motivation, and change just melt away. They largely take care of themselves...
... Indeed, the real question is not, “Why greatness?” but “What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?” If you have to ask the question, “Why should we try to make it great? Isn’t success enough?” then you’re probably engaged in the wrong line of work."...
Comments