Good to Great Essay

In his analysis of companies that are able to achieve greatness, James Collins identifies the role of a “Level 5” leader as instrumental in the transformation. Collins identifies this type of leader as an individual “who blends extreme personal humility with intense professional will” (21). While they are willful and fearless, these leaders are also modest and humble. The leader is less interested in personal glorification and is more interested in the performance of the company. They are intensely driven towards building a successful company that is capable of continuing its success in their absence. In his analysis of companies, he identified that all good companies that became great had Level 5 leaders at the help when they transformed. The leaders are interested in building up their successors such that the company continues on a successful path. This is in contrast with leaders who are interested in the short-term success of a company during their tenure. Level 5 leaders are not concerned “with their own reputation for personal greatness” (Collins 26). Rather, they are willing to share credit for their success with colleagues and successors. Under egocentric leaders, Collins noted that companies would achieve particularly strong growth but they would fall apart immediately after the leader’s exit. However, Level 5 leaders seek to obtain consistent results by finding the best people and creating a

The hedgehog concept is to focus on one main thing until completion. The main thing for Mr. Newson was hiring another black male teacher to fit into a vacancy. Focused attention on teaching and learning did not arrive until the Conservator did. Then, it became her vision for the school district. However, he did make it clear: No excuses allowed for safety initiatives such as shirts not being tucked in and teachers in the hallway during transition.

The Great The Corruptness of the American Dream The nineteen twenties was a decade of renaissance characterized by the American Dream- the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, contains themes that continue to be relevant today. In his novel, Fitzgerald reprehends the American dream by describing its characteristics: the pseudo-relationship between money and happiness, the superficiality of the rich, and the class strife between the rich and the poor. “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Mailer 97).

In Good to Great, author Jim Collins believes he and his team have found a set of timeless principles for running an organization successfully. He states these principles “will remain true and relevant no matter how the world changes” (2001, p.15). From what I have read, I feel he is correct in his belief. I have already seen and experienced many of the principles he provides. One of these principles I have seen firsthand is the concept of “Level 5 Leadership.” The main mission of the Air National Guard unit, where I am employed, is in air refueling. However, every so often we are tasked with a cargo deployment. This additional function requires many people to step outside of their normal scope of business and job description. I have worked

For the reading for this week from Good to Great, chapter three was focused on having the right people on board the organization. The right person in a position will make a significant difference in the success of that department or organization. As the right person will have the characteristics and adaptability skills to do what is needed to make the most effective decisions.

An article called “, Knowing When To Reinvent,” was composed by three company leaders, one being a CEO, to inform other company leaders about potential fault lines that have caused many companies to have downfalls. However, to prevent economic downfalls, the authors compiled a list of the downfalls and how to avoid them. Many companies have taken what seemed to be drastic measures to be successful in a changing marketplace. The thesis outlines the five fault lines within the article which are: customer needs, performance metrics, industry position, business model, and talent and capabilities (Bertolini et al., 2015).

The second principle, Level 5 Leadership—Getting things done within a diffused power struggle, suggests that decision must be made for the good of the entire organization rather than one individual. While decisions may be difficult and unpopular, those that are best for the organization must be on the forefront of the business. Collins discusses that leadership is not about doing what is popular or nice nor about what everyone thinks is best. Leadership and

To transform a good company to great company is all manages' dream, but only few of them make it. To find out the core factors which lead to a good company became a great company is very difficult, because in different era, different industry companies face different opportunities and threats. To begin the research for the Good-to-Great study, Jim Collins and his research team searched for companies that: performed at or below the general stock market for at least fifteen years; then at a transition point began to pull away from the competition, and sustained returns of at least 3 times the general market for the next fifteen years. He started with a list of 1,435 companies and found eleven that met his criteria.

Teamwork is very high in companies and organizations with level 4 leaders, and the high investment in people deepens relationships, and helps people know one another better, which ultimately strengthens loyalty to the company or organization. The lives of workers under a level 4 leader are changed. Reaching level 5 of leadership is extremely difficult, as hard work will not grant leaders to reach this level - only naturally gifted leaders will be able to make it to this level. At this level, leaders help to develop other leaders to become level 4 leaders, which is an extremely arduous task that many leaders do not want to do, as it takes a lot more work than simply leading

The Hedgehog Concept was created based off a famous essay, which divides the world into two species: hedgehogs and foxes. The essay states that the fox knows many things, while the hedgehog knows one great thing. “Foxes pursue many ends at the same time and see the world in all its complexity” (Collins, p. 91, 2001). Essentially, the fox represents the type of person who has many great ideas and thoughts running through their head, but fails to focus on one great idea. “Hedgehogs, on the other hand, simplify a complex world into a single organizing idea, a basic principle or concept that unifies and guides everything” (Collins, p.91, 2001). The hedgehog does not keen in on complexities of the world, but instead diminishes all

At its core, Great By Choice is a deep exploration of what distinguishes top performers from their peers during times of chaos, crisis, instability and uncertainty. Rigorous in its approach but practical in its presentation, Great By Choice to me seems like the perfect handbook for college seniors such as myself. In tackling the question of what distinguishes top performers in times of uncertainty, the authors first define what exactly a top performer is and then highlights the three key ingredients that these individuals were discovered to possess. 10Xers are leaders who built companies that started from a position of vulnerability, rose to beat their respective industries by at least 10 times, and did so in

The article “When Giants Fail - What Business has learned from Clayton Christensen” has revolved around a simple question “Why is a success so difficult to sustain”? He explained how big and rich companies at the peak of their power one year and a few years later they will be struggling.

“No matter how dramatic the end result, the good-to-great transformations never happened in one fell swoop. There was no defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break… Good to great comes about by a cumulative process…that adds up to sustained and spectacular results”; this was a quote he said in this wonderful book, a quote that says the reality of businesses nowadays, a quote that for us defined in short words the name of this book and the research Collins made.

Jim Collins and his research team have done a wonderful job identifying what it takes for a company to go from good to great. I found this book extremely interesting and would like to share several of my thoughts. The study looks at companies that appeared on the Fortune 500 from the years of 1965 to 1995, looking for those that, for 15 years, either tracked or underperformed the stock market, followed by a transition, and subsequently returning at least 3 times the stock market for at least 15 years. The eleven companies included in the

Even though the company had recorded a number of impressive achievements over the past decade,