# 240: BOOK OF THE WEEK — “Good to Great” (Part I)
Story behind the Book Choice
Today is one of these days again when I will not get through with the reading. But it does not matter. I got done with many other things today that are more important. Success is all about setting priorities. Even though I sometimes struggle to hold on to my priorities, I usually come back to them when I feel grounded again. That is the most important thing. That also always brings me back to the simple finding that there is no more truth to be discovered. If you have learned the timeless principles of the earth and of nature, there is not much more to find. You will just see different words and shapes and colors which represent these truths. But overall, there is not more to learn. You can just pass on this knowledge.
This takes me right to the book Good to Great. It is a classic in management literature and I was surprised to find out that, because the book was still in my “read” shelf, I have never actually read the whole thing before. So, this was the plan for today but I will finish next week. What is important to know about the book is that it is based on solid research. The author and his team studied hundreds of companies, articles, and other sources to explore the question why some companies make the turn towards great and others stay on the level of good. As you might wonder now, why is the focus on “great” companies if good could already be enough? That is the entire point at the outset. As Collins explains in the opening sentence:
“Good is the enemy of great.”
I totally agree. That takes you right to the heart of finding out how that works. You will already find many of the core findings in the concise introduction which, especially for people who love philosophy, will reveal that the timeless principles Collins talks about can be found in numerous other books from various fields. Not only does this refer to knowledge, it also refers to the leadership personality that is needed in order to run and develop a great company. As he explains:
“Self effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy — these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. They are more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton and Caesar.” (Collins 13)
This also takes me to the first key passage that resonated with me.
- Chaos to Concept
It is exactly this ability to see patterns in a vast amount of data and information which the author describes as one of his core strengths. This is exactly the ability which people from the humanities have and which are not trained in other fields. What makes me so mad is the fact that we already have thousands of studies which testify to this but we see zero progress in bringing this to business and advocating it. I am very often close to the point of giving up but I will not. I am just as determined as any entrepreneur in bringing this to business. It will take more anger, more despair, and endless hours of trying. But I know it will work. And my previous use cases show that it did in the past.
It can only work, however, because part of what is driving Collins — a large part — is the curiosity that drives every researcher. It is not only that I want to bring to the people what I deeply feel inside is right and valuable. I also want to see what happens if it works; I want to see if my own thesis is supported by evidence. I am ready to be wrong but I want to see in how far. And this curiosity is the deepest human value but I we tend to lose it in so many spaces where egoism, status, and fear prevail. Curiosity is so human that it can break every ice. I therefore think that the above statement about seeing patterns in chaos and turining chaos into concepts must be read alongside something Collins states before:
“People often ask, ‘What motivates you to undertake these huge research projects?’ It’s a good question. The answer is, ‘Curiosity.’ Ther is nothing I find more exciting than picking a question that I don’t know the answer to and embarking on a quest for answers.” (Collins 5)
Reflection Question
1) When did you last get really curious about something? Which steps did you take to satisfy this curiosity?