"Good to Great" by Jim Collins

“Good is the enemy of great.”

Level 5 Leadership (p.39)
• personal humility and professional will – ambitious for company/not themselves
• set successors up for even greater success
• display modesty, are self-effacing, and understated
• fanatically driven – resolved to overcome any obstacles
• workman-like diligence – more plow horse than show horse
• attribute success to factors outside themselves; blame themselves for any failure
• are rarely dazzling, larger-than-life people
First Who … Then What
• get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off, then figure out where to go
• WHO questions always come before WHAT questions
• be rigorous in people decisions
o when in doubt, don’t hire – limit growth to ability to attract right people
o when people changes need to be made, act – make sure not just in wrong seat
o put best people on biggest opportunity, not biggest problem
• teams need to consist of people who debate vigorously in search of best answer
• compensation does not motivate
• people are not your most important asset, the RIGHT people are
• being the right person has more to do with character traits than knowledge or skill
Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)
• process to greatness begins with confronting facts of currently reality
o one of the primary ways to de-motivate is to ignore the brutal facts of reality
• create a culture where people have the opportunity to be heard by:
o leading with questions, not answers
o engaging in dialogue and debate
o conducting autopsies without blame
o building red flag mechanisms for info that can’t be ignored
• spending time trying to motivate is a waste
• Stockdale Paradox: Retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever that may be.
Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity with the 3 Circles)
• Intersection of:
o what you are deeply passionate about
o what you can be the best in the world at
o what drives your economic engine
• not a goal, strategy, or intention; it’s an understanding
• what can you be the best in the world at – also, what can you NOT be the best at
• know one big thing, and stick to it
• The Council: Ask questions –
o Dialogue and Debate -> Executive Decisions -> Autopsies and Analysis
o all guided by the 3 circles … process to get hedgehog concept
Culture of Discipline
• disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action
• disciplined in respect to the 3 circles and Hedgehog Concept
• allows for freedom and responsibility with in system
• “Rinse Your Cottage Cheese” – details details details
• stop doing lists are more important than to do lists
Technology Accelerators
• carefully select technologies – thoughtful and creative
• use technology as an accelerator
• crawl, walk, run
Flywheel and Doom Loop
• looks dramatic from the outside, but is just a cumulative process from the inside
• no single defining moment
• pattern of buidup and breakthrough … turn by turn
• alignment (motivation) follows from results and momentum – not the other way around
• Doom Loop -> companies don’t maintain consistent direction
From Good to Great to Built to Last
• Need guiding principle and core values for enduring greatness


This is good stuff and falls along with my philosophies. I never really understand why so many coaches always seem to be begging or "getting" players to play. If you've read any of my posts you know that I am of the "no one is necessary" philosophy. This ideal conflicts with what many people feel is how to build a program.

You win with people not players not athletes. I would rather lose the game with good people who I know have worked as hard as they can and achieved whatever W/L record we end up with. In my mind, you go out on that field and you play as hard as you can, as long as they will let you play and at the end you look up at the scoreboard and if you have enough points you win, and if not you don't. But if you've played the way I described you haven't lost you have gained.

"Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off, then figure out where to go."