Good to Great - by Jim Collins Essay Example for Free

Good to Great by Jim Collins Essay I found my reading of Good To Great by Jim Collins very informative and even entertaining. It is interesting to me his concepts and perceptions and how although when you read them they seem rather elementary and obvious, Mr. Collins is indeed an outside the box thinker/writer and it is because of his ease of explaining his concepts that the message simply comes across as easy. The main idea that is presented in this book is that â€Å"Good is the Enemy of Great. † At first glance I had to re-read the statement to make sure I understood it correctly. My immediate response was to understand it as all too often people, and business decision makers, have a simple goal of being good at what they do. Mr. Collins and his research team were able to whittle that idea down to a handful of concepts that although many have the perception are good, but don’t clarify their exact goals of greatness. The first concept of Good To Great was Level 5 Leadership. Companies may have great product, great sales, great marketing, etc. but what makes them better than Good? What makes takes them to the Great level? Their Leadership. During the research of this book Mr.  Collins and his team identified multiple characteristics these leaders had that lead their company above and beyond just the Good status. Of these the common factor I understood was that of humility and giving credit to his surrounding personnel. Keeping the focus off of â€Å"look what I did† but rather keeping the focus off them, but at the same time taking responsibility for the mistakes of the company as a whole that they were in charge of looking after. These personalities also showed a great level of commitment and loyalty to their companies and tended to have been promoted from within. Thus having a firm understanding of the culture of the company and knowing a long term goal of the company. Secondly the book introduced the concept of â€Å"First Who, Then What†. I related this concept to the phrase â€Å"Trimming The Fat†. Great leaders realize that if you’re only as good as your support, than you better get the right support in the right places. The Level 5 Leader would have to find those that could lead as well. If you have the right thinkers and decision makers in the right positions, then the â€Å"what† could be figured out. By having the right decision makers from the get go then the goal was already on its way to Great. By doing so you are training your supports to eventually be capable to take your place and instilling a long term succession of the company’s goals for great. The next concept given was Confront the Brutal Facts With Unwavering Faith. Expanding on having placed the right â€Å"Who† where it was most beneficial, it is equally important to stay focused no matter the difficult time. The chapter focused on sticking to your guns, having faith in your company, and seeing the obstacle though. This again focused on loyalty to the company. As time goes on and the tough time regains it’s momentum back into the right direction, Problem solving starts with asking the right questions. It’s more proactive to take control of our future than being reactive and leaving the destiny up to chance. Companies that were able to make it through the ups and downs of success on their way to Great. Another aspect was for these decision makers to be honest with them and be willing a capable of confronting the hard questions that perhaps they didn’t want the answer to. But, faced the brutal facts head on. Fourth is the â€Å"Hedgehog Concept†. This was probably my favorite concept and I think will be the most important lesson I will take and use in my career path. The comparison was stated, â€Å"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing†. I think all too often it gets confused that if you’re in charge and making decisions you have to be the most knowledgeable person in that area. Remember though, especially in the totality of the emphasis of this book, you are not alone. In the chapter, Mr. Collins worded his idea this way, â€Å"The Hedgehog Concept is a turning point in the journey from good to great. It typically takes the right people willing to address the brutal facts over an extended period of time to get to the deep understanding of a Hedgehog Concept. What a great statement. It shows the level of determination, loyalty, and staying focused that you realize your true One thing. Then you expand on that One thing. It will set you apart from the field and past the Good threshold into the level of Great! â€Å"Culture of Discipline† was the next concept. One again focusing on hard work and staying focused on your goal of surpassing into the Great realm and not just staying there but forever raising the bar. Mr. Collins focused on the idea the in this sense discipline as a system. It involves the company in it’s entirety and making sure the companies â€Å"culture is filled with people committed to discipline in keeping to the standards. Each of these concepts builds on the one before it and this one is no different. Staying true to his â€Å"Hedgehog Concept† Mr. Collins also introduces his â€Å"Three Circles† concept. By focusing on keeping a Discipline in the company, it will help keep those involved with their eye on the prize of being able to find that one thing to be great at and to stay on top. Technology Accelerator was the idea to not let technology become a crutch of sorts. Technology is like any other tool and if used properly it will assist you in your success and getting here faster or with ease. Again, building on the concept before it also emphasizes to stay with your Hedgehog circles and keeping focused on them. Technology will not make you the best or most disciplined. It is a tool and should be used to accelerate your momentum into the right direction of your company’s goals, not be the creator of the momentum. Lastly â€Å"Flywheel and Doom Loop† was used to follow up. It’s a focus on being able to identify any and all aspects that take you away from the previous concepts. You should always be looking for ways to improve and stay ahead of the pack. The world of business is ever changing which keeps the bar separating Good from Great ever moving as well. Complacency is a â€Å"Good† trait. Having a system of check and balance working together with a cleaning house mentality will help to keep your company above that bar.

The Possibility of Justice for All Essay -- Justice Fair Society Essay

The Possibility of Justice for All Works Cited Not Included Can there be justice for all? To answer this question I must first define what justice is. Justice is ?the quality of being just, impartial or fair? in your dealings with others according to Merriam Webster?s Collegiate Dictionary. Keeping that definition in mind, I now must turn to the Voices of Wisdom in order to find an example of a situation in which all parties feel that they are being treated justly. After examining examples such as: Euthanasia, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and equal opportunity offered within the book, it becomes clear to me that there is in fact no possible way for there to be justice for all because everyone?s judgement is in some way or another clouded by their own self interests. Euthanasia, people can decide exactly how they want to live but should we as a society allow them the right to decide exactly how they want to die? On the one hand you have the question ?is it just to kill someone or allow them to die when help is available The obvious answer is no of course not. This is a prime example of why there can be no justice for all, because on the other hand you have the question ?is it fair to force someone to live through unbearable pain in anticipation of an agonizing death The obvious answer to that question is also no. This is where our self-interests come into play. It is in the patient?s own self interests to die because it will ease her pain, but is not in mine to alleviate her of her life ?because death is final and irreversible?, and because ?euthanasia contains within it the possibility that [I] will work against [my] own interest if [I] practice it or allow it to be practiced on [others].? (J. G... ...o that principle affirmative action should be considered just in relationship to minorities. As a result, because equal opportunity legislation is not in accordance with the best self-interests of most white males but it is in accordance with those of most minorities, this is another example of a situation in which injustice is inevitable. After closely examining these three specific situations in which injustice?because of our natural tendency to look after our own best self-interests?is certain, it can be concluded that it is hopeless to try to attain such an idea as a society that is just for all. Because these perpetually unjust situations such as euthanasia, discrimination based on sexual preference, ideas like affirmative action or situations similar to these will most likely permanently exist, a society in which there is justice for all is unreachable.

Early Birds vs. Night Owls

Early Birds vs. Night Owls People today are leading two different lifestyles. Some of them are living an early bird style while others are living a night owl style. An early bird is a person who always gets up early in the morning, sets out for work early and strictly organize his/her time schedules. In contrast, a night owl is a person who always stays up late into the night, enjoys the exciting and colorful night life of the city, or works extremely hard late at night.To illustrate the existing differences and similarities, we will take a look at the perceptions of life value, and the divisions between these two life patterns in the following text. Their differences and similarities are of equal importance in our discussions. Early birds and night owls have different perceptions in their life attitudes toward their time-spending value, health concepts and everyday habits. They have different viewpoints of how time should be spent. Early birds who strictly follow the cycle of their biological clocks, believe no extravagance in spending time uncontrolledly in night-time entertainment.They obviously observe the rule of the Earth orbit, rising with the sun and resting during the night. For them, time should be treasured, and it can never be wasted in indulgence. However, night owls hold a different perception. They believe that time can never be exhausted especially the night time. They are more active and energetic after the sun is set. For them, indulgence in life is of better value than time itself, which seems endless. Meanwhile, they believe in different health concepts. Early birds favor the principle of healthy habits and a healthy life.They consider the form of â€Å"early to bed, early to rise† as a normal and healthy way of living. On the contrary, night owls discard the traditional health concept of obeying the biological clock. They are less concerned about health problems that might be brought up by being a night owl. Consequently, they will a lways feel drowsy, and in a long run, it will cause permanent damages to their livers in lack of adequate sleep. As a result of these different perceptions, early birds and night owls are different in their habits of life. Early birds abiding by organized life pattern are leading a more regular life than night owls.They keep to the clock in their arrangements of daily matters and seldom break their rules of a stable timetable. In contrast, night-owl style practitioners care less about routines. They entertain themselves or work hard during night time and would rather take a recovery by sleeping during the day. Although there are some differences in the respective viewpoints of early birds and night owls concerning life value, they have one thing in common: They treasure their chances in life. Early birds like to be punctual in their work and their lives. They manage their orbits by working hard and obeying the rules.In comparison, night owls would not miss their opportunities in the night time. They work hard while playing hard at the same time. In a word, different perceptions of value determine the lifestyle a person may choose – an early bird or a night owl. Ages and professions are also the factors to determine the lifestyles. As for their ages, early birds tend to be older while night owls tend to be younger. Early birds are mostly grown-up people, who are more mature and financially independent in choosing when to work and when to rest than the younger night owls.Contrastingly, younger night owls have not been burdened with too many social responsibilities. They are not psychologically mature enough to be obedient to the rules of day and night. So they fall easily to the attractions of night life. Sometimes, a person’s occupation also determines his or her choice of life patterns. Early birds are normally those with regular working hours. They are managers, accountants, lawyers, teachers and so on, who are always on day-time duty. In contra st, night owls are normally working with night shifts. They are factory workers, bar tenders, club managers and so on.However, as society advances, the distinctions between ages and professions in this respect are blurred as night life attracts more and more people in the city, youth or grown-up. People tend to work more hours at night or go out to pubs or night clubs to have a drink, to get acquainted with some new friends and to chat and relax. Early birds and night owls are somehow the same to some people who are active both day and night. The consequences of being an early bird or a night owl differ in respect of personal health and social effects. In a long-term point of view, an early bird can enjoy better health than a night owl.By sleeping early and getting up early, an early bird can always maintain a healthy body. A healthy body can be the source of a healthy mind. A night owl, however, may face the consequence that in a long run, staying up too late every night will damag e his or her good health. Meanwhile, an early bird can obey the rules while a night owl may not. Daylight shows everything delightful while darkness at night may arouse some undesired passion of mankind. In our social life, we can see some unwanted side-effects of night owls, such as severe alcohol drinking or drug taking.Consequently, an early bird style, in a long-term value, is more recommendable than a night owl style. In conclusion, an early bird and a night owl possess different life values and habits. Ages or occupations are sometimes the factors to determine a person’s choice of being an early bird or a night owl. Both of their choices may have effects on their health and on the society. Today, some people would agree with the old saying, â€Å"the early bird gets the worms† while the others would be in favor of â€Å"the night owl gets the rats†. Simply put, people should cherish the days and nights, either being an early bird or a night owl.

African-American Organizations of the Progressive Era