Good is the enemy of great.. The vast majority of good companies remain just that - good, but not great. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Not one of the good-to-great companies focused obsessively on growth. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Building a visionary company requires one percent vision and 99 percent alignment. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
A visionary company doesn't simply balance between idealism and profitability: it seeks to be highly idealistic and highly profitable. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Great companies foster a productive tension between continuity and change. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Just because a company falls doesn't invalidate what we can learn by studying that company when it was at its historical best. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
If your company disappeared, would it leave a gaping hole that could not easily be filled by any other enterprise on the… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“Third, if you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction; you still won’t have a great… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Indeed, the real question is not, "Why greatness?" but "What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?" if you… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“Merck • Corporate social responsibility • Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of the company • Science-based innovation • Honesty and integrity •… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“No company can grow revenues consistently faster than its ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth and… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
In a truly great company profits and cash flow become like blood and water to a healthy body: They are absolutely essential… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Genius of AND. Embrace both extremes on a number of dimensions at the same time. Instead of choosing a OR B, figure… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Not every financial company toppled during the 2008 crisis, and some seized the opportunity to take advantage of weaker competitors in the… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
If I were running a company today, I would have one priority above all others: to acquire as many of the best… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
The start of the New Year is a perfect time to start a stop doing list and to make this the cornerstone… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
In an ironic twist, I now see Good to Great not as a sequel to Built to Last, but more of a… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline. When you have disciplined people,… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
It's more important than ever to define yourself in terms of what you stand for rather than what you make, because what… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
A visionary company doesn't simply balance between idealism and profitability: it seeks to be highly idealistic and highly profitable. A visionary company… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“2. Core purpose is an organization’s most fundamental reason for being. It should not be confused with the company’s current product lines… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“That said, however, we did notice one particularly provocative form of economic insight that every good-to-great company attained, the notion of a… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
The challenge is not just to build a company that can endure; but to build one that is worthy of enduring. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Level 5 leaders are fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce sustained results. They are resolved to do whatever it… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
"Growth!" is not a Hedgehog Concept. Rather, if you have the right Hedgehog Concept and make decisions relentlessly consistent with it, you… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake. The best people don't need to be… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Good-to-great companies set their goals and strategies based on understanding; comparison companies set their goals and strategies based on bravado. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“companies more than ever need to have a clear understanding of their purpose in order to make work meaningful and thereby attract,… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“Level 5 leaders: ambition first and foremost for the company and concern for its success rather than for one’s own riches and… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“It is very important to grasp that Level 5 leadership is not just about humility and modesty. It is equally about ferocious… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“Enduring great companies preserve their core values and purpose while their business strategies and operating practices endlessly adapt to a changing world.… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
We must reject the idea... Well-intentioned, but dead wrong... That the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“The fact that something is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” is irrelevant, unless it fits within the three circles. A great company will have… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
A great company will have many once-in-a-liftetime opportunities. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Companies that change best over time know first and foremost what should not change. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
...the question, Why try for greatness? would seem almost tautological. If you're doing something you care that much about, and you believe… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
It may seem odd to talk about something as soft and fuzzy as "passion" as an integral part of a strategic framework.… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“You get the best people, you build them into the best managers in the industry, and you accept the fact that some… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“This might not sound very exciting (inventory management is not something that tends to rivet readers), but think of it this way: Imagine walking… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“Merck • Corporate social responsibility • Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of the company • Science-based innovation • Honesty and integrity • Profit, but… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Greatest danger is not failure, but be successful and not know why. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“If you have the right people on the bus, they will be self-motivated. The real question then becomes: How do you manage in such… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“2. Core purpose is an organization’s most fundamental reason for being. It should not be confused with the company’s current product lines or customer… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
The drive for progress doesn't wait for the external world to say "It's time to change." — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
The secret to a successful retirement is to find your retirement sweet spot. The sweet spot is where your passions, what you do best,… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Managing your problems can only make you good, whereas building your opportunities is the only way to become great. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Creative leadership impact increases in your 50's. When I turn 50 I want to say, "Nice start!" — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
“The fact that something is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” is irrelevant, unless it fits within the three circles. A great company will have many once-in-a-lifetime… — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
Don't take care of your career. Take care of your people. They will take care of your career. — James C. Collins Copy Share Image
