Just finished listening to the audio version of Jim Collin's famous book "Good to Great" for the second time in 4 years. What a great refresher as there are so many points in the book that can be applied to Lawline.com on a regular basis. Below are some of my favorite points:
- The most important thing is not the people on the bus it is getting the RIGHT people on the bus. (First who then what).
- It is essential to have a culture of discipline. Not one were people are micro managed, but one where the right people set the stage through their work ethic.
- The Stockholm Syndrome - Jim Collins met with General Stockholm who was a prisoner of war for 7 years and all things considering got through it fairly well. Collins asked him who did not get through it that well. Stockholm replied, "the optimists." They believed they would get home by Thanksgiving, then Xmas, and eventually they died of a broken heart. Stockholm on the other hand hunkered down and while he knew he would be freed he prepared himself for the hardships ahead. Collins relates that to your business, those that hunkered down with a clear vision for the future will not lose focus when setbacks and hardship occurs.
- The Fly Wheel - Momentum builds and builds until it becomes unstoppable. While it can take years to get to that level...to the outside world many times it seems like an overnight success.
- Hedgehog Concept -- Collins applies the age old comparison of a fox and a hedgehog to a successful company. The saying goes that a fox is smart and conniving and knows how to do a lot of things well. However, a hedgehog knows how to do one thing great, which is curl up in a large spinney ball to prevent attack. Collins found that the "Good to Great" companies were more similar to the Hedgehog in that they were not to complex and focused on doing one thing great.
Well there you have it. I downloaded the book from Audible.com on recommendation of Frank B. It seems like a great service (owned by Amazon of course) and I am already on to my next book.