Leaders in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Collins - Book Report/Review Example

This paper will briefly outline my critical and professional reaction to the concepts being set forth by the author of the book.
Brief Overview of the Book
In Good to Great, author James Collins analyses 1,435 public companies out of which he identifies 11 companies which he characterizes were able to sustain their good into great efforts. That is companies that made the surge from good to great. He then uses these 11 firms to derive seven management principles which he believes resulted in “sustained great results.” He sets out to identify the characteristics which these firms have which their industry counterparts did not and which enabled them to leap from good to great.
He identified seven concepts that form the heart of good to great. These he outlined as, Level 5 Leadership; First Who…Then What; Confront the Brutal Facts; The Hedgehog Concept; A Culture of Discipline and finally Technology Accelerators as well as The Flywheel.
Social Application of the Principle of Good to Great
The golden rules presented in this book, however much they were meant to inspire and direct the decision making of business leaders, they can be conveniently applied to almost all aspects of life. They are lessons well beyond business. The principles of Good to Great can offer a very powerful tool in the persuasion of an individual that one’s life is significance no matter how grave the prevailing circumstances might be. The principle of Good to Great can be used to make a student who is weak in one facet of life understand that every individual has something which he is best at and consequently instill in him the belief in oneself and the factuality that hard work will eventually lead to success.
Especially so, the Flywheel Concept can be used by a counselor to encourage a student to begin from somewhere no matter how inconsequential or minor it might be and eventually it will result in something good. That is, progress is made by carrying out small changes at opportune times and momentum is achieved slowly and progressively by these small, periodic decisions
Professional Reaction to the Book.
Good to Great is a great book. It goes beyond being just a business book. It can be used for several professions and for the overall betterment of anyone’s life. This book leads us to admit that sometimes in this life, it is better to think like Jim Collins and not to always try to come up with the answers but rather it is better to ask the right questions. This book insists on believing that greatness is never a function of circumstances but rather is to a large extent a matter of conscious choice that can be applied to anyone who wants to enhance his life. Indeed the Good to Great principles seem to be true, insightful and necessary for a transformation. Read More