The first chapter started with an very interesting sentence: Good is the enemy of great. That explains why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great jobs, principally because we have good jobs. For vast majority of companies and startups never become great, precisely because the vast majority of them become quite good. And Jim Collins addressed that is their main problem. This helps to identify what separates the elite from the rest. Whether you own a business or work for someone this book is full of helpful insights that will help you change the way you and others around you work.

Curiosity motivates business to undertake these huge research projects. Collins offers some significant findings from the study.  And there are discussion in details in the coming chapters.

In chapter two, Collins begins the process of identifying and further explicating the unique factors and variables that differentiate good and great companies

Level 5 is the highest level in in a hierarchy of executive capabilities that he identified in their research. Level 5 leadership is a common characteristic of great companies. Level 5 leaders are more likely to have extrodinary ambitions for their organizations. In other words, Level 5 leaders are fanatically driven. Usually, they have clear, strict standers. Also Level 5 leaders work without ego. They set up successors for success.

When a company start to grow, and there will be more leaders needed .  However many leaders pick weak leaders to replace them. So both professional will and personal humility is the key factor of a great leader.

And Collins believes that potential level 5 leaders are all around us. The point is to know what to look for, either professional willingness or personal humility.

As the research shown, most of the good-to-great leaders understand three simple truths:

1. If you begin with the “who,” rather than the “what,” you can more easily adapt to a changing world.
2. If you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away.
3. If you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction—you still won’t have a great company.

Getting the right people on the right bus and figure out where to drive it is very important to achieve good-to-great.  It is saying that if you begin with “who”, rather than what you can more easily adapt to a changing world. I would say I I have experienced the second problem.  Sometimes it is a little big challenging to motivate people, of course money is one of the way, however, making them have the same goal as the leader would be much better.

When a company start running, most likely everything is not going to happen as planned. It is very important to face the brutal truth yet never lose faith. Ultimately, truths should be heard. And there are few key points that as a leader must be engaged. Questioning is better to have answers, because different people have different opinions, so asking questions that will lead to the best possible insights.

When it comes to technological changes, good-to-great companies think differently than mediocre companies.  So find the right technologies. That means it is not a good idea to begin r transitions with pioneering technology, for the simple reason that you cannot make good use of technology until you know which technologies are relevant. On the other hand when a company starts to react new technologies is good sign of greatness. But overreacting to new technologies causes problems. The point is organizations should stay true to their fundamentals and maintain balance.

In conclusion, base on Collins’ research and analysis, I have learned how to manage a team and lead to achieve good-to-great. Not simply, improving products or making more sales but  finding  the right person and engaging to team members