Built to Last

Image courtesy of 1.bp.blogspot.com

Self Made® Book Store
 
What makes a company a visionary company?

This is the fundamental question trying to be answered by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras and their team in their book Built to Last:  Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.




Collins and Porras took on a six-year research project with the goal of trying to figure out what allowed some companies to carry on strong generation after generation while others would either rise up and then fall just as quickly or never even get off the ground.  Much like Good to Great, they developed a list of 18 visionary companies and a list of comparison companies.*

There were six criteria that had to be met in order for a company to be considered "visionary".  From there they tried to figure out what the commons habits or characteristics were of all of these companies that were not shared by the comparison companies.

I enjoyed reading this book because it took a long-term view of success and building something great.  It wasn't just about maximizing the here and now, but about doing the right things at the right times and being patient with the process until the time comes to act.

If you are trying to create something that is bigger than yourself with the hopes of leaving an impact beyond your lifetime, this book would be worth your time to read.

Create Greatness.

Enjoy this review? Get a copy of Built to Last in the Self Made® Book Store!

Want to use this article in your blog, newsletter, or other platform? You may, but be sure to include all of the biographical information found in the yellow box below!

*For more details on the actual mechanics of the study, please read the book. I was far more interested in the takeaway messages and principles for the use of this post as well as my own life so I tended to skim over most of the information on the study itself.