Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by James C. Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oddly enough, though this was the first of the big Jim Collins books, it was the last one I read. Since this was first published in 1994 you can note that one or two of those companies may not last much longer. Motorola, for instance, may be on the edge. But the core concept of this book is still relevant, that you need to stick to your core values but be willing to change everything else.

This book preceded Collins’ smash hit “Good to Great”, but in fact I would read all three of them together (the most recent is “How the Mighty Fall”), as together they tell a story. They also share a methodology that makes a great deal of sense: match each “success” company with another very similar, but not as successful company. That way you can pick out the distinguishing factors that separate the great from the merely good.



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