BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0) Quotes

“Without disagreement, you might not fully understand the problem. Without unified commitment, you’ll almost certainly fail to execute.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“the single most important skill for building a great company is making superb people decisions. Without the right people, you simply cannot build a great company, period.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Write! Write! Write! Never underestimate the power of the written word. Few company leaders make good use of the most powerful human tool—the pen. Use it. People will read what you write because you’re the leader, and they’ll be influenced by it. Think of how much weaker the United States would be if the Constitution had never been written down.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deeply understanding the intersection of the following three circles: (1) what you’re deeply passionate about, (2) what you can be the best in the world at, and (3) what best drives your economic engine.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“False dichotomies are undisciplined thought. In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” Builders of greatness are comfortable with paradox. They don’t oppress themselves with what we call the “Tyranny of the OR,” which pushes people to believe that things must be either A OR B, but not both. Instead, they liberate themselves with the “Genius of the AND.” Undisciplined thinkers force debates into stark “Tyranny of the OR” choices; disciplined thinkers expand the conversation to create Genius of the AND solutions.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Cultivate Level 5 Leadership Our research showed that having charismatic leadership doesn’t explain why some companies become great and others don’t. In fact, some of the most disastrous comparison cases had very strong, charismatic leadership in the very era that the companies fell or failed. Rather, our research found that the critical ingredient is Level 5 leadership. The essence of Level 5 leadership is a paradoxical combination of personal humility and indomitable will. The humility expressed at Level 5 isn’t a false humbleness; it’s a subjugation of personal ego in service to a cause beyond oneself. This humility is combined with the fierce resolve to do whatever it takes (no matter how difficult) to best serve that cause. Level 5 leaders are incredibly ambitious, but they channel their ambition into building a great team or organization and accomplishing a shared mission that’s ultimately not about them.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“An overarching theme across our research findings is the role of discipline in separating the great from the mediocre. True discipline requires the independence of mind to reject pressures to conform in ways incompatible with values, performance standards, and long-term aspirations. The only legitimate form of discipline is self-discipline, having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult. When you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. When you have disciplined action, you don’t need excessive controls. When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you create a powerful mixture that drives great performance.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Most of us get decked somewhere along the way in life, slammed to the ground, the world looking down on us. And when—not if, when—that happens, we have a choice. Do we get back up? And when it happens again, do we get back up again? And again, and again, and again, and again? When I’m feeling clobbered by events, pounded by setbacks, or just flat-out exhausted from dealing with my own mistakes, I think of Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, and Tommy Caldwell. Not persisting in a grim manner, full of endless suffering, but joyfully and gratefully persisting, fueled by passionately pursuing purposeful work.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Leaders of great companies are always moving forward—progressing—as individuals (personal growth) and they pass this ever forward psychology along to the company. They have a high energy level and never become complacent.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“What does it really mean? Strategy is how one intends to go about attaining a desired end. It is the means to an end. Thus, it is wholly impossible to have an effective strategy unless you are clear—absolutely crystal clear—about what the end point is. Strategy is a path to attaining your vision. Knowing how to get “there” is impossible if you can’t articulate what “there” is.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“You’ve got to get out from behind your desk and see for yourself what’s going on. Go out and talk to people. Listen to them. Be visible. Don’t wall yourself off with a blizzard of corporate memos.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“I am responsible.” People who look in the mirror—who always ask, “What could I have done better? What did I miss?”—”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“uncertainty is chronic; instability is permanent; disruption is common; and we can neither predict nor govern events. There will be no “new normal”; there will only be a continuous series of “not normal” episodes, defying prediction and unforeseen by most of us until they happen.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Dicho de otro modo: si pretendes que el rendimiento de tu equipo mejore, primero has de mejorar el tuyo. Si quieres que crezcan las capacidades del resto, empieza haciendo crecer las tuyas.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0: Cómo lograr que tu empresa sea un negocio exitoso y sostenible

“John Gardner, former secretary of health, education, and welfare and founder of Common Cause, told us a fascinating study on heroism he was involved with. The study asked the question: what motivates people to heroic behavior? The overwhelming answer was not glory, or country, or patriotism, or anything like that. It was primarily a person’s belief that comrades were depending on him, and he couldn’t let them down.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Escribir no es teclear, escribir es pensar”
― Jim Collins Bill Lazier, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“And what’s that metric? The percentage of key seats on the bus filled with the right people for those seats. Stop and think:”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“GREAT VISION WITHOUT GREAT PEOPLE IS IRRELEVANT”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“fact, visionary companies more”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“The answer lies partially in the hierarchy from values to tactics: Core Values and Beliefs: Change seldom, if ever. Purpose: Should last for 100 years. Mission: Changes whenever one mission is completed and a new one needs to be set (usually every ten to twenty-five years). Strategy: Revised annually, then totally recast with each new mission. Tactics: In constant flux, to adjust to changing conditions.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Facilities may not seem like a very important topic; but they are. We’ve seen a number of companies, such as the one above, encounter difficulty soon after moving into beautiful new buildings and offices. It’s not that the new offices are in themselves bad. But they send a signal: “We’ve arrived. We’re successful. We’ve made it.” Greg Hadley, an experienced turnaround artist, described the impact of a new building on the psychology of a company that he took over: It was like the Taj Mahal. People looked around, and said, “Hey, look at this. We must be good. We must already be successful.” And then they started paying more attention to their golf game than the business. Gavilan Computer Company, which burned through tens of millions of dollars of capital in going from start-up to bankrupt, had exquisite corporate offices. As one employee told us, “I felt like I was already working in the FORTUNE 500. It diluted any real sense of urgency. And, you know, it wasn’t anywhere near as much fun as some other start-ups I’ve been with.” Do we mean to imply that you shouldn’t have nice places to work? No, of course not; but you should be aware that a beautiful new edifice symbolizes having crossed a threshold, having “made it,” having completed a mission.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“From their very earliest days operating as a tiny start-up, they obsessed over finding great people, attracting great people, developing great people. They didn’t hire principally to get people with particular skills or to fill an open position or to achieve a specific goal or to pursue a market opportunity. They inverted the entire equation, making a leap of faith that if they filled the machine with fanatically driven people, they’d ignite a virtuous cycle of momentum. First, you get great people. Then you need to give them something big to do. If you pick something big enough, you’ll need more great people. Then you have to come up with bigger things to do, which requires getting more great people, which then sends you off in search of even bigger things to do. Repeat, again and again, never stopping, never slowing, never breaking the magic of momentum.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Four Types of Mission There are four basic types of mission to choose from: Targeting Common Enemy Role Model Internal Transformation.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“core values and beliefs, purpose, and mission. Diagram of Vision, Strategy, Tactics Figure 4-1”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“There is a paradox evident in those who build the great companies. On one hand, they concentrate on high-level vision and strategy while, on the other hand, they involve themselves with seemingly trivial details.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“discovered the X factor of good-to-great leadership. It is the principle of Level 5. Level 5 is the highest level in a hierarchy of capability ranging from Level 1 (individual skills) to Level 2 (teamwork skills) to Level 3 (management skills) to Level 4 (leadership skills). At Level 5, a leader applies all the skills from Levels 1 through 4 in service to a cause larger than self, and does so with a paradoxical blend of personal humility and indomitable will.”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Seven Elements of Leadership Style In this chapter, we’ve identified the elements of style that are common among effective leaders. They are: Authenticity Decisiveness Focus Personal Touch Hard/Soft People Skills Communication Ever Forward”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“this chapter, we’ve identified the elements of style that are common among effective leaders. They are: Authenticity Decisiveness Focus Personal Touch Hard/Soft People Skills Communication Ever Forward”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“True leadership only exists if people follow when they would otherwise have the freedom to not follow. Many business leaders think they’re leading when in fact they’re simply exercising power,”
― Jim Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

“Think again of your BHAG like a big mountain to climb. Once you’ve clarified your core values and purpose, you set a BHAG, get the right people on the team, and set a strategy. Then you break the climb down into base camps, which are three- to-five-year targets that move you up the mountain. Then you set your top priorities for the coming year, the strategic imperatives you must accomplish along the way to your next base camp. Once you hit the base camp, you adjust and clarify your second base camp, then repeat again for your third base camp, and so forth, until you reach the BHAG. Then you set a new BHAG. Repeat, again and again, forever.”
― James C. Collins, BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company