Good to Great Review

I have often been handed books from bosses or colleagues in my career and if I’m being truthful I’d bet only a handful have every really stood out to me. I find most business books are so lost in theory that it’s near impossible to find away to actually apply the principles they are trying to convey.

Well if you want to pick up a book – that I can honestly say changed the way I manage and run my business on a day-to-day basis, you have to pick up Good To Great by Jim Collins.

Why is it worth it? First, the book is easy to follow. Sometimes writers put in case studies that are so detailed in nature it’s hard to imagine your company could possibly be in the same situation. While the companies referenced may not mirror the scale of your business, the examples used are easily translatable.

I think the other thing that I like about the book is that whether you are the owner of a business or a manager within a company – the principles still apply. For example, one of the very first topics tackled is first who then when. This lays out how important it is to have the right people on the bus in your organization. It goes on to explain that if you do – you don’t really have to manage them. These go-getters are the ones that are self-motivated and self disciplined.

Coming into a new role as a manager of the Living Room, I made a conscious decision that I was going to do everything in my power to follow the principles in this book. I reference it all the time and I always have it on my desk. I think having inspirational books like this top of mind is critical to staying focused on what is really going to drive your business every day.