Good to Great Summary

Good to Great is a book written by the American author Jim Collins. Jim is a lecturer and business consultant. His lectures focus on the subjects of business sustainability and economic growth. 

Collins attended Stanford University where he received his MBA in Mathematics. He then spent eighteen months working as a consultant for McKinsey and Co. before becoming a product manager for Hewlett Packard. 

Collins has also written or co-authored six other books in addition to Good to Great, all of which are based on his research. One of these books, Built to Last, was a best-seller for more than six years and has been translated into twenty-five languages. 


Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t talks about the crucial differences between companies that do passably good business and those that do exceptionally great business. After this initial discussion, the author explains that even though there is nothing wrong with “good,” that “good” can, and often does, prevent us from achieving more of our potential. Good will keep us satisfied with the current situation, and because of this satisfaction we may be unable and unwilling to try to achieve something better. This concept applies in business as well. While there are many companies that are good, there are only a few companies that excel at what they do. This means that there are many companies that are “stuck” with being “good.” 


This book offers ways to understand what distinguishes between good and great companies and what each company should do in order to achieve being “great.” The research and suggestions make it excellent literature for businessmen.