false 76865 0066620996 9780066620992 4077 720 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170899741m/76865.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76865.Good_to_Great_Why_Some_Companies_Make_the_Leap_and_Others_Don_t 2826 Jim Collins 5433 929 1 1 false Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 12:54:16 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 10:37:30 -0700 2009 1
Tips from the book:

First Who, then What
First, get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off it), then figure out where to drive. Having the right people in the company is more important than deciding what the company will do, because the right people will help make that decision anyway. Whether a person is "right" or not depends on their character more than their knowledge and skills. Don't waste time dealing with people who aren't contributing; fire them ASAP.

Don't waste effort trying to motivate people; the right people are self-motivated. All you have to do is keep from de-motivating them.

The Hedgehog Concept
To become great, use the Hedgehog Concept: concentrate on the point of intersection between what you are passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine. The Hedgehog Concept is named for the simple hedgehog that does one thing well (curling up for defense), and is able to defeat the crafty fox which knows many things but acts inconsistently.

A Culture of Discipline
Ignore "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities unless they fit in the 3 circles of the Hedgehog Concept.

Don't treat budgeting as allocating amounts of money to activities, but choose Hedgehog Concept activities to fully fund, and don't fund others. "Stop doing" lists are more important than "to do" lists.

Technology Accelerators
Does the technology fit directly with your Hedgehog Concept? If yes, then pioneer that technology. If not, settle for parity with your competitors, or ignore it.

Greatness happens as a result of long-term, consistent behavior, not a sudden lucky break or killer app.]]>