book data
192 ratings,
3.93
average rating, 50 reviews
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published
November 30th 2005
by Collins
binding
Paperback, 42 pages
isbn
0977326403
(isbn13: 9780977326402)
description
Jim Collins Answers the Social Sector with a Monograph to Accompany Good to Great. 30-50% of those who bought Good to Great work in the Social Sector...more
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| good reminder for public servants | 1 | 2 | 12/28/2008 07:59AM |
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avg 3.93
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
non profit boards and managers
To quote a brilliant former colleague, "Jim Collins makes me swoon." I've read and reread this booklet 3 different times, and I pick up something new every time. Its refreshing to look at a different paradigm from someone who gets that the work of non profits is not defined by the financial statement, but by the impact of the work. This is not earth shattering or new by any means, but its a damn good reminder of why we exist and how to start to think so we can go from being mediocre n...more
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Read in February, 2009
I read this book because I hoped to learn what it takes to move an organization from being a "good" organization to a "great" organization. Jim Collins focuses on businesses, but I think many of his ideas are applicable to the world of education. Ideas such as level 5 leadership, getting the right people on the bus and the right people off the bus easily translate to schools. But the challenge for me is that I'm in a position of limited influence of my school. I'm not the...more
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Read in February, 2009
I should note that I haven't read Good to Great, so I was lost on some of the more concepts introduced in the original volume. I heard of a lot of "discipline" , "hedgehog model" , and "bus", but didn't understand it well. I have to go back and read Good to Great maybe. That said, the parts in normal English, the insights Collins had on the social sector, was worth noting and filing away. The real-life examples were inspiring as well.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
recommends it for:
nonprofit and public sector employees
A great book for any nonprofit or public sector employees. Collins talks about how to identify the right people for your organization, recruiting them and getting them in the right place "on the bus". He discusses hard truths about hiring and firing in the public and nonprofit sector that must be followed in order to make your organization as good as it can be.
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Read in January, 2009
I read Good to Great last year - this companion piece is like an extra chapter for that book, specifically focusing on nonprofits/social sector. It should hardly count as a separate book, as it isn't very good as a stand alone. My favorite quote: "What can you do today to create a pocket of greatness, despite the brutal facts of your environment?"
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A compliment to Good to Great for non-profits and social organizations. This is not a replacement but rather a supliment for Good to Great. Read that first to understand the concepts and then read how Collins applies them to social sectors.
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Read in January, 2006
recommended to Chip by:
Supervisor at Workrecommends it for: People Who Loved Good to Great
Builds on the Good to Great premises, but not as fully developed. Do note recommend reading this first, you have to read Good to Great first to make sense of it.
A interesting expansion of some ideas though.
A interesting expansion of some ideas though.
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Read in October, 2007
I enjoyed reading Jim Collin's book “Good to Great and the Social Sectors”. He focuses on his book to five issues which are,
1. Defining “Great” - Calibrating Success without Business Metrics.
2. Level 5 Leadership – Getting Things Done within a diffuse Power Structure
3. First Who – Getting the Right People on the bus within Social Sector Constraints
4. The Hedgehog Concept – Rethinking the Economic Engine without a Profit Motive
5. Turning the Flywheel ...more
1. Defining “Great” - Calibrating Success without Business Metrics.
2. Level 5 Leadership – Getting Things Done within a diffuse Power Structure
3. First Who – Getting the Right People on the bus within Social Sector Constraints
4. The Hedgehog Concept – Rethinking the Economic Engine without a Profit Motive
5. Turning the Flywheel ...more
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Read in November, 2008
Affirming and smart. A no nonsense assesment of how our stitched together system of service delivery can be better at achieving goals and being humane to staff.
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Read in January, 2006
This is a decent guide, I just wish more leaders in the social sectors would apply it
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Jeromy by:
My boss's boss's bossrecommends it for: Anyone in a leadership role at a non-profit.
Very interesting read. I have not read the book this is supposed to accompany, "Good to Great", but now I feel Idon't have to. Seth Godin says that most business book contain a couple of pages of content and a couple of hundred of pages selling you on the content. This has much of the content of "good to great" and much less of the selling you on the content. At least as near as I can tell not having actually read "good to great."
Everyone involved wi...more
Everyone involved wi...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
no one
Two indicators that Mr Collins hadn't put much thought into this: (1) The "bus" analogy ("getting the right people on the bus") is uncannily bad. Organizations are not like buses. Only the bus driver drives the bus, and it doesn't much matter who gets on it. (2) The "hedgehog" analogy (the book’s "pivot point"), is similarly odd. Tough for a hedgehog to represent "piercing clarity" when he's all balled up, and the closest thing to his eyes is h...more
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Read in December, 2008
as a fed govt worker, this book provided a good yardstick for measuring success and lasting impact in the public sectors. still the same principles espoused in good to great, but turns them on their ear a bit to apply to non-profit driven work of all kinds. good quick read for the rest of you public servants out there, so let me know if anyone would like to borrow the book.
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Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone working in the public sector (government agencies, non-profits, etc)
This essay is an inspiration for people working in the public sector. It explains how we can take pride in the kind of work we do and transform our organization from a good one into a great one. The really surprising thing is that he suggests that that we don't need to mimic the "business model." Government agencies and other non-profit organizations have beneficial traits that can be harnessed to change the organization from good to great.
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Read in June, 2008
If there is one thing that you should take away, it is that money serves different purposes in business and social sector cycles. In business, it's both an input and output, and thus creates a feedback loop. This is not the case in the social sector.
This makes a difference when it comes time to set goals. People will walk the road that organizations pave for them. Better pave properly!
This makes a difference when it comes time to set goals. People will walk the road that organizations pave for them. Better pave properly!
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08/07/07
Brynn
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Read in June, 2007
I mostly read this while sitting at Midway, waiting for a flight that was eventually canceled and drinking really expensive airport wine. According to the intro, it can serve as a stand-alone piece... But having read it, I feel like I need to read Good to Great to get the most out of it. Or maybe I should re-read it without the wine? Probably both.
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Read in December, 2005
Helped to put "Good to Great" into context in the nonprofit world. If public/government corporations can't address problems - we create nonprofits to struggle with the most difficult of challenges, but don't fund them enough. So, a focused effort (put into context in this book) helps to address that.
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Read in April, 2006
recommends it for:
Everyone
This is Jim's follow-up to his Good to Great book. Excellent for the non-profit sector. Jim's original book focuses on companies that are private/profit orientated. The books helps those in government understand how to put the Good to Great principles to work.
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Read in December, 2008
I didn't finish Good to Great and now I see why -- it just didn't translate to the non-profit world of my career so I lost interest. This bridges the gap beautifully. Thanks to my brilliant boss for the tip (and lending me her copy).
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Read in April, 2007
I read/browse a lot of "business" books. This is the best one I have read in a long, long time. It's small. It makes sense. And it's great to see a book explore the differences between a business model and a non-profit approach.
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quotes from this book
"If we only have great companies, we will merely have a prosperous society, not a great one. Economic growth and power are the means, not the definition, of a great nation."
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