Review: Good To Great By Jim Collins

For eighteen years now my parents have influenced me to do my best in academics and extracurricular activities. Both of my parents have gone to college and both have had successful careers. My dad was a highly recognized Police Chief for Waukesha County and is now on the

I come from a loving and supportive family that has always encouraged me to work hard and if I do, I will be able to achieve anything I desire. I was taught to reach for the stars and to pursue my dreams. I am a true believer in setting goals, staying focused, and being persistent to achieve all I aspire: to be a CTO or CIO in corporate America.

My childhood was split over two different and unique cultures. This special upbringing presented me with challenges that lead me to continually reflect on my life and identity throughout my childhood. I had to adapt to different educational systems as my family moved back and forth between Syria and the United States. However, that only motivated me to work harder and seize the opportunities that surrounded me at every point of my life. I learned to treat obstacles and hardships as chances for growth and development.

Thanks to my parents pushing me to do my best, I have an outstanding work ethic in school and on the field. Because of this effort and work put in, I have been a captain on basketball, football, and baseball teams. Not only were my parents important factors but, so were my coaches and teachers. Coaches and teachers have pushed me to do the best I could and told me when I did things wrong, but praised me when I did them right. They helped to slowly build my character, leadership, scholarship and dedication to everything and anything that I do so that when I had to do something it was done the right way instead of halfway.

Coming from a Mexican immigrant family I have learned to recognize since a very young age that because of the status that my parents are placed in they cannot pursue a better future like the one I want. I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with obtaining a higher education than just high school itself. My parents have demonstrated to me through their hard work that I have to value this opportunity unless I want to end up with low paying job. My life long dedication comes from seeing my parents make sacrifices in order for my education to continue.

Ever since I was a young child, my parents always told me to try my best in school, they always told me this for the reason that they never had the opportunity to have a good job because they never finished school. This event is shaping me to care a lot regarding my education. In addition to that, another event that has shaped me to become the person I am today is that since my parents don’t have good paying jobs they have to work hard to take care of me and my siblings this event has caused me to become a hard working person and to seize all opportunities to live a good life because I don’t want to struggle like my parents.

Both of my parents came from conservative backgrounds raised by grandparents who worked to give them better opportunities much like they did for me, my grandparents, however, didn't attend college. For these reasons and struggles, my parents raised me to appreciate hard work. I work at my family business of my mother and father. I do things for the benefit of the family firm so that we all prosper even if it inconveniences me. All for the greater good of the family, I never complain and even try to do more. This positive mentality will be important as an adult in college and the workplace because I can’t become successful by wallowing in self pity because my circumstances have made a few waves ahead of where I’m sailing

One of the reasons why my parents decided to come to the United States was so that I and my three siblings could have a better future. Also so we could have more education than my parents had to have a better chance in life and better job opportunities. I admire my parents so much because I have witness every single struggle they have been through trying to give us the best and also because they are humble and strong as a family. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to go to college is because I strive to

The book of Collins (2001) entitled Good to Great became one of the best seller not because of the attractiveness written in it but because of its ability to inspire the people through reminding them on how to struggle against the tendencies and aid the individuals in setting a higher standard toward greatness. The author manages to show the different sides of philosophical sides which also attracted a lot of criticisms that tend to examine the significant implications of the book in determining the future of an organization. The impression that the book received is derived n particular about the author's idea about the leadership and the position of the organizations within the industry and the greatness of an organization in the midst of competitive environment. Despite of the number of criticism it received, there still a good point that the book delivers for its readers.

Growing up, I have been an individual who has pushed myself beyond the minimum requirements in order to succeed. In high school I excelled in both academics and athletics. I graduated in the top 10% of my class and lettered in hockey and tennis my sophomore, junior, and senior year. I worked hard and put in extra time in order to set myself apart from others. Succeeding in both school and athletics made me a responsible, reliable, and an organized individual. These experiences made me a versatile individual and have given me a work ethic that has benefited me with my academics in college and with my work and volunteer experiences.

From the time I was born until the age of twelve, my family struggled with the basic necessities of life. My father worked endless hours in a factory, and yet somehow came home with a smile on his face. As a young kid, I never knew we were struggling. The thought had never occurred to me. As I got older I started to realize that my single father was working his life away to care and provide for his two little girls. He completely put aside his well-being because as long as his girls were cared for, nothing else mattered. Life was never easy, but as a young adult today, I have come to accept that my background has been a prerequisite for greatness, for it is our backgrounds that define who we are. The way we are raised, the way we are taught to believe, and the way we are taught to act, make us who we are today.

One person I personally know that inspires me a lot is my father. My father has always been very involved in my life and had a very positive impact on who I have become. He came to the United States when he was eleven years old with nothing. The English language was foreign to him and everything was being risked. The comfort of being in a place you have been all your life and having friends and family surrounding you was gone. Yet his parents knew this was what was best for him, so they brought him over. Things were not easy for my father and some of my family members either. They all lived crammed up in a one bedroom apartment. However, they were not discouraged. My father fought and fought for what he wanted to achieve. I admire him greatly because of how hard working he is. Everything he has accomplished today was thanks to his amazing work ethic. This is what really makes me want to be like him. If I am able to strive and fight like he did, especially with my studies, I have faith I will achieve all I want.

As I entered my teen years, my father expected more out of me than just being a good student. Dad always seemed to have projects going on around the house, and I became his helper. It did not matter what the project was, he always seemed to need my help and I was not happy about that. I had better things to do than wasting a weekend working around the house. Somehow my dad knew how to do everything and felt it was his job to teach all of it to me. I was a teenager and had all of the knowledge I would ever need, so I thought. As it turned out, most of the skills I obtained helping my father led me to a rather lucrative career in manufacturing a few years later.

Without the support of my father and the drastic change in my life, I understood that the only way to improve my quality of life was to study and find the passion to which I was going to dedicate the rest of my life. After careful thought, I decided to move to the United States. Leaving my family, I came to this country in search of knowledge, contacts and “greater opportunities”. During these years, I have been confronted with many obstacles, but I have been able to resolve them thanks in part to my dedication. When it comes to achieving my goals, I find it in myself to push myself until that goal it met. I consider that there is no lack of opportunities for someone that believes in their capabilities and is aware that nothing comes without sacrifice, meaning that hard work and dedication are required in order to achieve goals.

From an early age I learned that our very best is often brought to action when we willingly take on challenges and persevere with grace through trying times. As a widowed, single mother, my mom strove for excellence in every area of her life in order to put food on the table for her children. She studied to be a nurse, quickly rose in to administration, became the first in our family to obtain a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), and earned a seat as a director for an international healthcare organization. Her determination and positive spirit served as a great example and sparked a passionate drive in my life to help others while striving for greatness.