Jim Collins
“I have always attempted to understand what separated good vs great.”
To have a great society we must have greatness in all parts of the society.
Five Stages of Decline
1. Hubris Born of Success
2. Undisciplined Pursuit of More
3. Denial of Risk and Peril
4. Grasping for Salvation
5. Capitulating to Irrelevance or Death
The org does not visably fall until stage 4.
These stages are largely self inflicted.
1. Hubris Born of Success
Outrageous aroagance.
“When the going gets weird – the weird become CEOs”
Leaders matter, the humility of the leader + the burning passion is what makes the difference.
2. Undisciplined Pursuit of More
Getting stuck will kill you, but this does not happen to the mighty.
Keep this question in mind:
Do we have all the key seats filled by the right people?
3. Denial of Risk and Peril
A culture of denial forms.
From the outside it all looks great.
Stockdale Paradox – confront the brutal facts & never give up hope.
Discipline facts + faith
4. Grasping for Salvation
Looking for silver bullet – change everything.
Find that right outside leader.
You have to improve consistently over time.
An org can come back from here.
Money is never enough of a reason for an organization to survive.
10 things to do
1. Good to Great Diagnostics – free at JimCollins.com
Confront the Brutal Facts
2. Count your Blessings – literally – in a spreadsheet
3. Question to Statement Ratio – ask more & better questions
4. Answer the Q: How many key seats are on your bus? How many are filled by great people?
5. How the Mighty Fall diagnostic as a group
6. Create inventory of the Brutal Facts
7. Stop Doing list
8. Define results & milestones
9. Double your reach to young people by changing what you do – not who you are or what you stand for.
10. Have a BHAG
Change tactics – not your core purpose.
