Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t – Jim Collins

Lessons from companies who made the transition from good to great

Great companies, in terms of sales, revenue, and stock returns are easy to identify. Every once in a while a company will jump up, seemingly out of the blue, and captivate the business world, only to crash and burn or return to average after a short time. A few companies, however, have been able to make a transition from good/average (or even below average) to great. This book is an analysis of 11 companies that made this transition and goes into detail about the things that each company did or had in common when they made the jump.

Not your average business book

I don’t read many books on business, sales, or marketing. It’s not really an area of interest for me. But this book came highly recommended from someone so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did, because while I’m not interested in becoming a corporate executive, there are quite a few lessons that you can draw out of this book that are applicable to just about everyone.

In case you’re wondering what benchmarks the author and his research team used to define a good to great company, this is it: a company who performed roughly at average on their stock market price for at least 10 years, followed by 15 years of sustained growth that resulted in posting returns 3 times greater than those in their industry and in the general market. Pretty hard standards and parameters to reach, which is why only 11 companies met them out of the thousands available.

Important note: This book was written in 1999 and published in 2000, so the data is from the decades leading up to the year 2000. Keep that in mind while reading.

Themes/Topics

The Hedgehog Concept – a simple, clear concept that flows from a deep understanding of the way the following three areas intersect:

What can you be the best in the world at?
What drives your economic engine?
What are you deeply passionate about?

In other words, think about what you can truly be the best at in your area, region, niche. Conversely, think about what you cannot be the best at and use both of these as a discerning guide to direct your company (and your career). Figure out what you can do to provide for your financial needs. Last, but not least, think about what you’re passionate about. It’s difficult to stay focused and be successful in a business or career if you don’t care about what you’re doing. Where these things intersect/overlap is the sweet spot of the Hedgehog concept. Stick with this and brush off the rest.

Level 5 Leadership – interestingly, the top level leadership showed similar characteristics in the good to great companies. There seems to be a collection of personality traits that makes for a very successful leader, though these traits are quite different than the image most of us have of what a successful CEO looks like. Here’s a list of those traits and comparisons.

Humble – willing to accept personal responsibility for the company’s failures and also quick to give credit to the team for any successes. Team>me. Compelling modesty.
Quiet, hardworking, obsessively focused and dedicated – leads by example
Operates by the “Stockdale paradox” – consistent faith that they will succeed (optimism) while still wanting to face the brutal facts of reality (realistic).
Consistent and steady, but willing to embrace change if it can help fulfill the long term goals. Not interested in fads and/or technology, unless the technology can help them focus on their goals/Hedgehog Concept.
Not just “get the right people on the bus” but “get the right people in the right positions on the bus” mentality.
“First who, then what” – find the best people to hire, then find the best fit for those people. No compromises in that regard. Trim out those who aren’t the right people immediately.
Seek quiet understanding, not bravado. Charismatic leaders often are level 4 and why companies often can’t sustain success, because it’s all about the leader, not the culture of the company.
Fanatically driven by the need to produce results. Not afraid to make hard decisions.
Don’t let their egos get in the way – Humble and fearless – they don’t need to be the Alpha male or biggest dog in the company. Their leadership style often cuts against the grain of the belief that larger than life CEOs are what’s needed to transform companies.
Usually come from within the company – understand the culture but also understand what isn’t working and what needs to change to become great.

Importance of Discipline – great companies have a culture of discipline built in. Some leaders are able to instill discipline through a heavy-handed, tyrannical approach, but that is unsustainable and usually backfires eventually. To build a culture of discipline requires a deep understanding that if you have the right people in the right positions on the bus, then you don’t need to resort to the common external motivation methods that many companies use. Great companies (and leaders) avoid bureaucracy and hierarchy and instead create a culture of discipline. Internally motivated people don’t need to be “managed” and meetings become far less important or necessary. Creativity suffers under heavy management and so does productivity. Self-disciplined employees don’t need micromanaging, they run from it.

Recommendation

This was a bit longer of a review than I normally do, but I thought it was important to show that the lessons in this book are more than just “how to increase your corporate earnings.” Many of the ideas and lessons can be applied on a personal level – how to be a good leader, how to have a meaningful career, how to make the most out of life. In the end, it was because of these factors that I decided to include Good to Great in this blog and give it the “recommended” stamp of approval.

You can find the book on Amazon here.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel van der Kolk

Exploring the neuroscience of the brain-body connection in mental health

In “The Body Keeps the Score”, Dr Bessel van der Kolk shares what he’s learned as a researcher and mental health professional in caring for patients who have experienced trauma. The author covers the medical history of how we have treated those dealing with mental health conditions, what we’ve learned along the way, and he shares many patient stories that help to illustrate the topic.

“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably
the single most important aspect of mental health;
safe connections are fundamental to
meaningful and satisfying lives.”

“Neuroscience research shows that
the only way we can change the way we feel
is by becoming aware of our inner experience
and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.”
Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. https://besselvanderkolk.net/index.html

Trigger warning: this book doesn’t go into graphic detail, but it does cover topics that may be disturbing to some readers who have experienced trauma. For example, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse are discussed, as is addiction and self-harm.

Topics Discussed

Adverse Childhood Experiences – also known as ACEs and discussed in a previously reviewed book Supernormal – are traumatic events or lived experience of abuse and neglect throughout childhood. The higher your ACE score, the more likely you are to develop chronic conditions (mental and physical) later in life. Dr van der Kolk pays special attention to how this relates to psychiatric diseases like PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

The Science of Trauma – Dr. van der Kolk goes over the history of how our understanding of trauma has changed over the years, including the neuroscience of how the brain processes threats, danger, abuse, and trauma. The development of advanced imaging techniques (fMRI and PET scans) has allowed scientists to see which parts of the brain are over or underactive during various mental states.

Treatment Options For Psychiatric Disorders

Talk Therapy – the ability to talk about our experiences and problems has been shown to help many people. Perhaps the more studied of these is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, but there are many others that are covered in the book.

Yoga – connecting with your bodily senses in a meaningful way is what yoga is all about. This is a way to integrate physical activity into healing the mind.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – this type of therapy uses eye movement while processing negative events from your life (trauma) and the feelings and emotions connected to it.

Internal Family Systems – also known as Self Leadership, is a system of therapy that helps you to look at how your conscious mind is a collection of sub-personalities. IFS can be used to evaluate each perspective/personality in the system and address negative, harmful, overly critical, or violent ones. (I didn’t do a very good job of explaining it here, which is why you should read the chapter about it!)

Neurofeedback – this type of treatment uses electrodes on your head to detect the electrical signals happening in your brain. With these on, the patient then goes through guided imagery to learn how to engage parts of the brain that are helpful for focusing attention, calming anxiety, and processing emotions.

Recommendation

This is a really, really important book that I highly recommend. I appreciate how the author explains the science and research while mixing in patient stories to help illustrate the concepts and topics. Some of the patient stories were too painful for me to read and I’m guessing that anyone with a history of trauma or abuse may have a similar experience. I especially recommend this book to anyone who works in healthcare and for those who have friends or family that have experienced trauma.

You can find the book on Amazon here. Click this link to go to the author’s website.

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery – Ian Cron

This isn’t your typical self-help psychology book

The Road Back To You – by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile, is a really helpful and informative book. The concept of the Enneagram is complex and intricate but the authors present the information in a very practical and relatable manner. Their goal isn’t to teach you some new ideas, but to help you identify parts of your personality that you maybe have never considered. They don’t leave it at that though. They also show you things that you can do to “do the work” of soul searching and making improvements in those difficult areas of your life. Continue reading “The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery – Ian Cron” →

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain – Oliver Sacks

Science meets art, neurology meets music in this fun book

Are you the type of person to carry a tune around in their head wherever you go? Some people are good at visual imagery, I have a very vivid auditory/musical mind. Dr Sacks is the author of some great books, but this one is my favorite from him because I am also a lover of music. Music is almost magical to me. It has the power to move us in a deep way that is beyond words. It even has healing power. The author explores this and much more in Musicophilia.

Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does–humans are a musical species.
From Dr Sack’s official website – https://www.oliversacks.com/books-by-oliver-sacks/musicophilia/

Topics

Case Studies – The author covers cases studies of musical savants as well as things he has learned from many of his own patients over the years. He shares stories of how music is used as a tool for therapy and healing and stories of the blessings and curses of expert musical ability. He was there during the beginnings of music therapy and speaks to how it can help patients with a variety of conditions.

Humans are a musical species – Dr Sacks explains some of the theories out there about the origin of language and makes a case that music came before language, not the other way around. Why does music play such a major role in almost every documented culture? What is it in us that is drawn to music, rhythm, and how it draws people together.

Musical hallucinations – I never had heard of this, but it is very much a real phenomenon and it is underreported. People who once were able to hear but have since become deaf often develop musical hallucinations. The same is true for blind people experiencing visual hallucinations. The neuroscience behind it is interesting, though it does make some folks question their sanity, even though there’s a perfectly good explanation for it.

Pathology – Dr Sacks also covers more rare disorders like amusica. Some people are unable to differentiate between tones, rhythms, melodies. This can be congenital or acquired (stroke, head injury, illness). Absolute pitch is much more common in populations that have a tonal language (like Mandarin) and for people who are blind.

Recommendation

If you are a music lover who is interested in learning more about the science behind it and how it can go right (and wrong), you should check this out. While reading this book, I went on a deep rabbit trail in checking out the musical savants listed in this book. It’s so fascinating to me. Dr Sacks has a unique writing style and can tend to ramble on a bit in some of his books (not to mention excessive footnotes!), but I really enjoyed all of that in Musicophilia.

To Learn More

You can find the book on Amazon here. You can find out more about Dr Oliver Sacks on his website. You can learn more about the NOVA production that features a few of the case studies in this book here.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer

robin wall kimmerer braiding sweetgrass book

Equal parts memoir, science book, and essays about Native American wisdom

Braiding Sweetgrass is a really unique book. Robin Wall Kimmerer, the author, weaves together the knowledge and wisdom she’s gained as a scientist, professor, mother, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. It might help to view this book as a series of essays on different topics. There are certain themes that tie everything together, but each chapter has its own narrative, structure, and topics. This is a fascinating book that is very informative and calls you to join in instead of lecturing you about topics.

Themes

Indigenous culture – Dr Kimmerer speaks from a place of identity with her dual citizenship, American and Potawatomi worlds as they collide and intersect. She shares the deep wisdom traditions of many tribes who are native to the Americas, long before the conquistadors and colonizers showed up.

Persecution and genocide – She takes a deep look at what really happened in our history as a country and the treatment of the Indigenous people as the United States expanded and grew.

Nature – Dr Kimmerer explains in several areas just how much we can learn from nature if we would just slow down and listen. She shares scientific insights about the biology of plants and how we can take these scientific principles and apply them to our daily life.

Mindfulness – Our busy American culture is often so preoccupied with jumping from task to task that we rarely have the chance to slow down and think about what we’re doing and why. Part of the wisdom from Indigenous people is being more mindful about how we interact with the earth and each other. Are we caught up in consumer culture? Do we realize the impact this has on our environment, our bodies, and our minds? Can we slow down and practice gratitude and thankfulness? What do we do with the tension between honoring life and consuming it for our benefit?

Recommendation

If you are interested in botany, biology, gardening, and connecting with nature, I think you’ll be delighted with this book. The science nerd part of me loved those chapters. If you would like to learn more about the true history of how Native Americans were treated in the US, you will find this book informative and also heartbreaking. If you enjoy memoirs and storytelling, Braiding Sweetgrass will full your cup with her stories of growing up, balancing between 2 cultures, raising a family, and pursuing a career while discovering her identity all over again.

This is a powerful book. It has the power to change your perspective. I know it helped to change mine. Check it out and let me know what you think.

You can find the book on Amazon here.

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era – James McPherson

The best book about the American Civil War

If you’re ready to take the plunge and get the fullest account of the events leading up to, during, and after the Civil War, then this is the best book there is. James McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1988 with “Battle Cry of Freedom” and it has been updated with illustrations in subsequent editions since then. What were the causes of the war? Who were the leading figures? What were things like in politics at that time? If you’ve ever wondered on these things and felt that history class in high school skipped over some parts, you’ll find the answers here.

Think that’s a little heavy on the acclaim? Here’s a quote from one reviewer:

It is the best one-volume treatment of its subject I have ever come across. It may actually be the best ever published. It is comprehensive yet succinct, scholarly without being pedantic, eloquent but unrhetorical. It is compellingly readable. I was swept away, feeling as if I had never heard the saga before. It is most welcome.
Hugh Brogan, NYTimes review – https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/06/specials/mcpherson-freedom.html

Topics Covered

Notable people – Quotes, sections from journals, and in-depth information on all the main political and military figures, as well as detailed background info on people who are often overlooked. Lincoln, Generals Grant, Sherman, and McClellan on the Union side and Generals Lee, Jackson, and Forrest on the Confederacy all have center stage at various times.

Important events leading up to the war – How the Mexican American war brought about events to come. The passage of the Fugitive Slave law and other polarizing legislation on the topics of slavery and “freedoms.” The creation of the new Republican party. Threats of secession in the face of legislation that would limit slavery. Reluctant abolitionists and conflicted slaveholders, it’s all in there.

Major battles – Fort Sumter, Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Atlanta are all covered, as well as the lesser known but very important battles that shaped the outcome of the war.

Slavery – Yes, the war was about slavery. Multiple quotes from Confederate leaders clearly show that they viewed slavery as the pillar of their culture and their God-given right. White supremacy in all its ugliness is revealed time and time again in the horrific treatment of African slaves and attempts to expand slavery and even to restart the Atlantic slave trade. The Union leaders don’t get a free pass though, as they are often guilty of horrible abuses as well. It’s an ugly time in our history that we tend to gloss over.

Recommendation

I know the size of this book will turn some people away. Even the edited, abridged version has over 700 pages! But please, please, don’t let that be a deal breaker. This doesn’t read like a textbook, though it is incredibly informative. This is a remarkable book and the author has done a fantastic job in making the subject come alive. If you like history books, you’ll really enjoy this. Trust me on this one.

Here’s a link to the illustrated version on Amazon.

Recovery – Russell Brand

The 12 Steps, a memoir, and more

Recovery and addiction are all over the news these days and it can be a controversial topic. I’ll say upfront that I’m not really a fan of Russell’s comedy, so I was a little reluctant to check this book out even though someone I greatly respect recommended it. It was way better than I expected. The book goes through each of the 12 Steps that Alcoholics Anonymous is based on. He talks a lot about addiction (obviously), but also goes deeper into the fears, hurts, and pain that lead people to self-medicate. At the end of each chapter/section/step, he includes many self reflection exercises and gives examples on how he has worked these things out in his own life.

A book for everyone, not just those with substance abuse problems

I think this book could help a lot of people, not just those who identify as addicts. He makes a good case that most, if not all, of us fall somewhere along the addiction spectrum and that we’re at epidemic levels of addiction at least in part to how isolated, disconnected, and lonely we are in modern society. We lack community and connection, both of which are crucial if you are recovering from an addiction and want to stay clean and sober. This a really helpful book. He does a good job of knowing when to insert a little joke to keep it from getting too dark, when to include a story to help illustrate a point, and when to dive into vulnerability and the dark areas. If you are offended by swear words, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re okay with a multitude of F bombs, or able to look past it, I think you should read this book. Here’s a link to the book on Amazon. I’ve been told that he did the voice for the audiobook version, but I read this book so I can’t provide any comments on that.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain

This book isn’t just for introverts, it’s for extroverts too!

If you’ve ever felt pressure to live up to the Extrovert Ideal that our society seems to idolize, if you loathe small talk, if the thought of an hours-long cocktail party makes you cringe, you’re not alone. In this book, Susan Cain offers insights, data, case studies, and tons of practical advice for introverts and the extroverts who live and work with them.

I have a strong desire to share lots of quotes from the book right now, but that wouldn’t be fair to the author. I’ll share a few things here, but also recommend you check the book out at your library or buy it. You can also follow the Quiet Revolution. Continue reading “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain” →

An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life – Marilyn Paul

You need to make room for rest, reflection, and refreshing

Are you caught up in the tyranny of busyness? It seems like everything you see on social media is the worship of hustle, grit, and working as much as possible. Americans, in general, are overworked, don’t sleep enough, and are stressed out of their minds. This has far reaching impacts on our health. Can you relate? If so, this book might change your life.

In the first half of the book, Dr Marilyn Paul does a great job of explaining why we humans need time for rest, reflection, and refreshing – for our bodies as well as our souls. She does an excellent job in going through the statistics of how detrimental stress is to our minds and bodies and why we need time away from the rat race of productivity. The practice of Sabbath rest is Jewish in origin, but the concepts are applicable to everyone, regardless of faith.

Not just theory, practical wisdom as well

There is also a lot of practical wisdom in this book for people who want to try this, but don’t know where to start. Many people dismiss the idea because they think it has to be one extreme or the other. Dr Paul lists many ways that you can get started on a small basis. Whatever you decide to do, I think you’ll benefit from the many insights in this.

Recommendation

I loved this book and really benefitted from it. Find out more about Dr Marilyn Paul on her website. You can this book on Amazon here.

Here’s a video interview on YouTube where the author explains why she wrote the book and what you can learn from it.

Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death – Adrian Owen

A science book that forces you to consider philosophical and ethical questions

I first picked this book up because I was curious about learning more regarding consciousness and the science behind it. This book delivered on that, but it also opened so many other doors of thought that I didn’t realize were there. What is consciousness exactly? What does it mean to have a good quality of life? What if we’re wrong in our assumptions about these questions? Who gets to decide? These questions go beyond the scientific method.

Science and storytelling

What I like most about this book is that it isn’t just a science book or textbook. Adrian Owen is a neuroscientist and researcher, but he also does a great job of telling the story of his discoveries and the patients he encounters along the way. It can all too easy to dismiss or gloss over data points and numbers, but when you hear the stories that people have gone through it makes you stop and put yourself in their place. While the science part really is fascinating, you don’t have to be a neuroscientist to benefit from (or understand) this book. The stories of Kate, Juan, and Scott will stick with you for a long time.

It turns out, we were wrong about consciousness

Spoiler alert: many people who were previously thought to be non-responsive or in a vegetative state are actually aware of what’s going on. Up to 20%, it appears. This raises all kinds of ethical questions about how we treat people who are non-responsive or appear to be in a vegetative state. Until the science improves and we can truly know who is conscious and who isn’t, should we change how we handle these cases from a medical standpoint? Are we being ethical in making decisions about care?

Recommendation

If you have a science background and are interested in the study of the mind and consciousness, you really should read this book. Those who are on the fence or are willing to reconsider their stances on the right to live or right to die movements will also find this book interesting, if not challenging. I definitely recommend this book. It is thought-provoking and doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. In fact, it will likely leave you with more questions. If you’re okay with that, check this one out.

You can find “Into The Gray Zone” on Amazon here and find out more about the book and the author here.