Great by Choice by Jim Collins

This is our endeavour to bring great resources to enable leaders like you to constantly evolve and grow personally and professionally.

In this direction, I am pleased to share excerpts from one of the must-reads in the field of management for practitioners and academia alike.

“Great by Choice” is a book by Jim Collins that examines the key factors that differentiate successful and longstanding companies from their less successful counterparts. 

What are the key points?

Here are the key characteristics of a great company as posited by the book  “Great by Choice” :

1. “Fanatic Discipline” – Successful companies exhibit “fanatic discipline,” which is a consistency of action and focus on long-term goals. They maintain a consistent level of performance, regardless of external circumstances.
2. “Empirical Creativity” – Great companies rely on empirical evidence rather than intuition to make decisions. They experiment, test and learn, and make data-driven decisions.
3. “Productive Paranoia” – Successful companies exhibit a “productive paranoia” that helps them stay prepared for any unexpected events. They continuously plan and prepare for worst-case scenarios.
4. “Level 5 Leadership” – The most successful companies are led by Level 5 leaders, who are humble, driven, and put the company’s goals ahead of their own personal interests.
5. “20 Mile March” – Great companies set a clear target for performance and have the discipline to hit that target consistently, rather than trying to achieve big wins all at once.
6. “Bullets and Cannonballs” – Great companies experiment with “bullets” (small, low-risk investments) before they commit to “cannonballs” (large-scale investments).
7. “Leading above the Death Line” – Successful companies are prepared for crisis and are able to lead above the “death line” (the point at which a company faces an existential crisis).

How it is beneficial for the leaders?

The book offers valuable insights into what it takes to build a successful, enduring company. The book emphasises the importance of consistency, discipline, and data-driven decision-making, and offers a roadmap for companies that want to achieve long-term success.

The leaders can learn a lot about healthy paranoia from Andy Grove’s personal experience in business and life.

I hope you like this excerpt and I would be happy to receive your feedback.

For any assistance on business, policy and technology, please feel free to contact us,

best regards

Rohit Chaturvedi

+91 98191 38652