Good To Great by Jim Collins, one of the more iconic business books. Published in 2001 and based on over ten years of cumulative research of what made certain fortune 500 companies ‘good’ vs. what made some companies ‘great’. It’s relatively timeless. Though I take everything I read with a grain of salt. Also a bit of a dry read.

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The Takeaways From ‘Great’ Companies –

1. Get the right people on the bus. As defined by people who don’t need external motivators, but are intrinsically motivated by the desire to create aligned results.
2. Find your ‘Hedgehog Concept’. Defined by these three questions – ‘What can we be best in the world at?’ – ‘Which things can we be most passionate about?’ – ‘How do we measure it?’ – This concept simplifies and unifies creating guidance in a complex world. Not so great companies were scattered.
3. Realistic optimism – Confront the truth, but never lose faith that it’ll work out in your favor.
4. A Culture of Discipline. Disciplined people, with disciplined thought, taking disciplined action.
5. Level 5 Leadership – A paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. Not showy. Not larger than life. Always looking in the mirror for responsibility, always looking out to others to distribute credit.
6. Use of technology only to accelerate what’s already working. Not as a fad, or solve-all.
7. The Flywheel Effect: Focus all efforts on the above, create steady consistent momentum, and avoid distractions and FOMO. Over years.

Win.

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There’s something to be said about keeping things simple.