Jim Collins, David, and How the Mighty Fall
One of the most popular business books in recent decades is Good to Great by Jim Collins. For a season, it was a must read for leaders and teams. Leaders continually referenced phrases from the book in attempts to teach lessons from the book or, in some cases, show off their biz chops and prowess. […]
Two Contradictory Leadership Traits and Learning to Embrace the Paradox
There are two seemingly contradictory traits I have seen in great leaders. 1. Great leaders need new challenges. Leaders need challenges to grow and develop. A healthy sense of being overwhelmed can push leaders to expand their capacity, learn new skills, and discover new ideas. Without new challenges, leaders can grow apathetic. At the same […]
Bullets Before Cannonballs
The most helpful teaching metaphor I grabbed from Jim Collins’ newest book, Great by Choice, is the concept of “bullets before cannonballs.” Collins discovered that the most effective leaders and companies test new initiatives as “bullets” before over-investing, radically altering their strategy, or changing their offerings to customers. According to Collins, effective leaders explore incrementally […]