8 Sure Fire Ways To Make

Your Company Go From

Good To Great by Jim

Collins

Source: Flickr CC Dennis Wilkinson

Good To Great By Jim Collins

• Analyzed 11 companies that

were selected based on a

period of growth and

sustained success that was

far beyond the market or

industry average – made the

transition from good to great

• Used 11 comparison

companies that were in the

same industry and had similar

opportunities – did not make

the transition from good to

great

Typical Business Problems

1. Shifting the blame rather than taking responsibility

2. Focusing on the problems not the solutions

3. Avoiding the truth that something is going wrong

and needs to change

4. Not staying focused

5. Going after too many opportunities

6. Getting distracted by new trends

7. Going back and forth with decisions

8. No solid foundation to last for the future

How Good To Great Addresses

These Problems

1. Leaders who plan for success beyond their term

2. Having the right people before creating the

strategy for your business

3. Not afraid to pivot the business based on data

and research

4. Find the one thing that makes your company

great and stick to it

5. Stay disciplined

6. Only incorporate technology when it fits your

company’s vision, not because it’s trendy

7. Once you gain positive momentum, build upon it

8. Build a company that is sustainable for the future

Source: Flickr CC Gabe Austin

PROBLEM: SHIFTING THE BLAME

Level 5 qualities:

• Planning for the future so

the next successor can

achieve even greater

success

• More plow horse than

show horse

• Take full responsibility

rather than shifting the

blame

Source: Flickr CC Pedro Ribeiro Simoes

SOLUTION: LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP

Source: Flickr CC Nick Wheeler

PROBLEM: NOT FOCUSING ON SOLUTIONS

Source: Flickr CC Bill McChesney

• Assemble a high-quality, high-talent

team before developing a strategy

• Decide if the person is in the wrong

seat or should not be on the bus and

then act on it

• Put your best people on your biggest

opportunities

SOLUTION: NEED THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Source: Flickr CC Andrixnet64

PROBLEM: AVOIDING TRUTHS

• Lead with questions, not

answers

• Find the problem without blame

• Focus on consumer trends and

preferences and don’t be afraid

to make a change

Source: Flickr CC Fredrik Rubensson

SOLUTION: CONFRONT BRUTAL

FACTS

Source: Flickr CC Tambako The Jaguar

• The Fox is impressively

clever, but pursues

many ends at the same

time and becomes

scattered

PROBLEM: NOT FOCUSED

Source: Geograph.org.uk

• The Hedgehog's simple but

surprisingly effective response

is to roll up into a ball

• Stick to your “one big thing”

SOLUTION: BE A HEDGEHOG!

WHAT YOU

CAN BE THE

BEST IN THE

WORLD AT

WHAT

DRIVES

YOUR

ECONOMIC

ENGINE

WHAT YOU ARE

DEEPLY

PASSIONATE

ABOUT

THE HEDGEHOG PROCESS

What you get out of the

Hedgehog Process is the

understanding of what

gets your customer in the

door, clarity of where you

are headed, and the

confidence around how

you are different.

Source: Flickr CC Carterse

PROBLEM: CHASING OPPORTUNITIES

• Stay fanatically

consistent to your

Hedgehog circles

• Discipline should not be

based on fear and

tyranny

• “Stop doing” lists are

more important than “to

do” lists

Source: Flickr CC David Yu

SOLUTION: STAY DISCIPLINED

Source: Flickr CC Ewan Topping

PROBLEM: SHINY OBJECTS

• Use technology as an accelerator of

momentum, not a creator of it

• Mediocre companies are motivated by

the fear of being left behind

• Great companies are motivated by the

potential of results

Source: Flickr CC Justin Taylor

SOLUTION: DOES IT FIT?

Source: Flickr CC Austin Kirk

• Reactive decision-making

• Overextension into too

many diverse areas

• Frequent changes in

leadership and personnel

• Disappointing results

PROBLEM: DOOM LOOP

Source: Flickr CC Ken Bosma

• Success or failure does

NOT occur suddenly

• Gain years of positive

or negative momentum

• Reinforce hedgehog

competencies

SOLUTION: FLYWHEEL

Source: Flickr CC Realize_photo

PROBLEM: NO SOLID FOUNDATION

Source: Flickr CC Craig Damlo

• Don’t need a “great idea”, instead need a

company that can prosper beyond any

single leader

• Pursue seemingly unachievable goals to

become a visionary

• Be prepared to change everything about

the company except the basic beliefs

SOLUTION: BUILT TO LAST

How We Applied The Principles

• Wanted to take these principals out

of the theory and figure out how to

apply them to our company

• Brainstorm how each of these

concepts effect our business and

reflect often to make sure we are on

the right track

FROM CONCEPT TO ACTION

Source: Graphic Stock

Source: Flickr CC Rachel Kramer

• Level 5 Leader.

Check.

• Our CEO embodies

the plow horse not

show horse model by

not telling team

members to figure it

out, but trying it

himself and being

accountable to work

just as hard as his

team

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Source: Flickr CC Mustafa Khayat

• We have several opportunities

to “raise the red flag” so

everyone is in the loop and has

a voice

– Anonymous tool to

evaluate how each team

member feels each week

– Weekly meetings with

pressing discussion topics

OPPORTUNITY & TRANSPARENCY

Source: Flickr CC Kecko

• When an employee is

struggling, give them the

option to try switching seats

before getting off the bus

• We found that some people

were not a fit for their seat or

the bus

• With others we found that we

were not playing to their

strengths and gave them the

opportunity to have a role to

succeed

ON OR OFF THE BUS, SWITCH SEATS

Source: Flickr CC Yoel Ben-Avraham

• Staying true to our Hedgehog was more

difficult than we thought because new and

exciting opportunities always come up

• However, anything that is out of our

normal process our team debates and

evaluates to make sure we stay true to the

3 circles

OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAKE SENSE

Source: Flickr CC Kim Alaniz

• Even though we are a digital agency, we try

not to be swayed by shiny objects

• We stick to our process of research and

audience alignment to make sure these new

offerings make sense for us

• Just because all your friends are on

Snapchat, doesn’t mean your business

should be

AVOID SHINY OBJECTS

THANK YOU!

Connect

with me!

Alix ParkerDigital Strategy

Manager

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