Business Quotes by James C. Collins

That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem.

— James C. Collins

Building a visionary company requires one percent vision and 99 percent alignment.

— James C. Collins

A great company will have many once-in-a-liftetime opportunities.

— James C. Collins

Good is the enemy of great.. The vast majority of good companies remain just that - good, but not great.

— James C. Collins

Not one of the good-to-great companies focused obsessively on growth.

— James C. Collins

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

The challenge is not just to build a company that can endure; but to build one that is worthy of enduring.

— James C. Collins

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

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

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

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

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

...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

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

“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

“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

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

The best CEOs in our research display tremendous ambition for their company combined with the stoic will to do whatever it takes,…

— James C. Collins

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

“Asked to paint a picture of the company in 20 years, the executives mentioned such things as “on the cover of Business…

— James C. Collins

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

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

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

“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

“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

Level 5 leaders are differentiated from other levels of leaders in that they have a wonderful blend of personal humility combined with…

— James C. Collins

For no matter what we achieve, if we don't spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect,…

— James C. Collins

Great companies foster a productive tension between continuity and change.

— James C. Collins

Companies that change best over time know first and foremost what should not change.

— James C. Collins

“Merck • Corporate social responsibility • Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of the company • Science-based innovation • Honesty and integrity •…

— James C. Collins

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

To have a Welch-caliber C.E.O. is impressive.To have a century of Welch-Caliber C.E.O.'s all grown from the inside - well, that is…

— James C. Collins

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

"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

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

“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