Readers like Reich have made “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins, a former Stanford lecturer turned full-time researcher and author, that rare species in book publishing: a business book with mass appeal. It’s gone through 48 reprintings, and just inked its millionth hardcover. Collins–whose first book, “Built to Last,’’ sold about 200,000 hardcover copies–has received thousands of e-mails and roughly 250 speaking requests from people outside the business world, including orchestra managers, church leaders, principals and hospital chiefs (the list goes on). What’s the attraction? Many of the book’s findings are counterintuitive. The companies that made the leap are low-profile firms. Abbott, Kimberly-Clark and Nucor are among those that overcame average stock performance for a 15-year run that far outpaced the broader market. None were run by flashy CEOs from the outside–they were led by quiet insiders who inspired with standards and goals. They determined what their company could do better than anyone else, figured out the smartest way to measure progress and stayed focused.
The book isn’t bulletproof. There may be factors at work that Collins didn’t find, for example. And there are no guarantees–one of the 11 firms, Circuit City, has faltered badly. Even so, the book has insights for any group that asks how it can improve. “That’s a universal question,’’ says Collins. One that clearly many are asking.
