Good To Great
by Jim Collins
What Separates the Best from Everyone Else
When I stepped into my current leadership role, I didn’t want to just keep things running—I wanted my effort to help build enduring changes. Good to Great gave me the blueprint. It’s not filled with quick wins or management fads. It’s about what it takes to lead at the highest level and build an organization that outlives any one person. This book changed how I think about leadership, culture, and strategic growth—and it continues to shape how we operate at Fennemore.
What the Book Is About
Jim Collins and his research team studied over 1,400 companies and identified just 11 that made the leap from being “good” to sustained excellence. Then they reverse-engineered what those companies did differently. What emerged wasn’t a magic bullet—it was a disciplined system of leadership, culture, and decision-making.
From Level 5 Leadership to the Hedgehog Concept, Collins introduces a set of timeless principles that challenge the myth of charismatic CEOs and short-term hacks. The book proves that greatness is not a function of circumstance, but of conscious choice and discipline.
Why This Book Mattered to Me
As a lawyer, it’s easy to get pulled into individual wins—closing the deal, winning the case, solving today’s fire. But as a leader, your job shifts. You’re responsible not just for outcomes, but for culture, clarity, and sustainability.
Good to Great gave me language for the leadership challenges I was already facing—but hadn’t fully defined. It pushed me to ask: “Are we building something truly great? Or just getting by on being good?” It helped me reframe what success looks like at the organizational level.
One idea in particular stuck with me: “First who, then what.” In other words, get the right people on the bus, in the right seats—before you decide where to go. That mindset has reshaped how I build teams, hire leaders, and think about long-term vision.
Key Takeaways
Level 5 Leadership: The best leaders are ambitious—not for themselves, but for the mission. They blend humility with fierce resolve.The Hedgehog Concept: Great companies focus on what they can be best in the world at, what they’re deeply passionate about, and what drives their economic engine.The Flywheel Effect: There’s no single breakthrough moment. Greatness is the result of small, consistent pushes in the right direction.
Who Should Read This
If you lead a team, a firm, or a fast-growing business—this is essential reading.
It’s especially powerful if you’ve already achieved some success but know there’s another level you haven’t unlocked yet. Whether you’re running a law firm, a startup, or a nonprofit, Good to Great will help you reorient from short-term performance to lasting impact.
It’s also a strong read for young professionals who want to understand what separates good leadership from great—and how to prepare themselves to lead at scale.
Final Thought
Final Thought
I’ve read this book many times—and each time, I’ve pulled out something new.
It’s not flashy. It’s not motivational fluff. It’s a field manual for sustainable excellence.
At Fennemore, I reference its principles regularly—not just as theory, but as part of our decision-making DNA.
If you care about building something that lasts, Good to Great belongs on your shelf. More importantly, it belongs in how you lead.
