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westmoreland's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
ivantable's review against another edition
4.0
I read 'Good to Great' awhile ago, but I didn't know he had a little booklet applying these principles to the nonprofit sector. Invaluable stuff.
morne's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
The book is more about the difference between a great for-profit business and a great non-profit business, than between good and great non-profits, even though the author states that the latter difference is much greater. I read this short monograph before I read Good to Great, and I think it would have been better to read it the other way around, because a lot of the concepts are not explained in as much detail. The information provided wasn’t particularly profound or ground-breaking to me, but it did make me think about a few characteristics of non-profits that haven’t thought about before. Nonetheless, the book was convincing and well presented, and I think many of the concepts, albeit a little abstract, are worth revisiting and applying in many business and social sector contexts.
kathleennicholson09's review against another edition
challenging
informative
fast-paced
1.0
Outdated, tone deaf case studies. Talks a lot about how driven people will work for a strong mission no matter the pay, citing teach for America as an example— top graduates from elite universities working in low income schools for 2 year stints. I have lots of thoughts on TFA as an org but that’s not really the point— the point is Collins advocates for hiring processes that favored privileged groups— people that can afford to work low paying jobs because of their pre-existing support system. Is the opportunity to work for teach for America available to a state school grad drowning in student loan debt? Absolutely not. Are people living with chronic health conditions able to work for a nonprofit that offer shitty benefits? No. Collins made good points about investing in overhead costs but lost me when he started to suggest that just doing more “selective” hiring would solve issues. No, pay your people and be mindful of inclusive hiring practices and workplace culture, even when striving for excellence.
Moreover, Collins advocates for hiring “neurotic” individuals who are “obsessed with perfection.” This is a recipe for a toxic work environment with blurry work-life boundaries. I understand that this was written in 2001– mental health concerns and personal wellness were not as highly emphasized. That said, I’m honestly surprised people are still suggesting this book in 2022– the concepts Collins presents are less and less relevant as the future of the workplace continues to morph into a new, innovative space that cares for the whole person and recognizes the balance between work life and home life.
Moreover, Collins advocates for hiring “neurotic” individuals who are “obsessed with perfection.” This is a recipe for a toxic work environment with blurry work-life boundaries. I understand that this was written in 2001– mental health concerns and personal wellness were not as highly emphasized. That said, I’m honestly surprised people are still suggesting this book in 2022– the concepts Collins presents are less and less relevant as the future of the workplace continues to morph into a new, innovative space that cares for the whole person and recognizes the balance between work life and home life.
books_lover42's review against another edition
5.0
Recently, my Manager and I had the opportunity to attend an event that Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free the Children and Me to We attended. After the presentation my Manager and I were thoroughly engaged and wanted to brainstorm about ideas to engage the rest of the staff in order to encourage participation in a "day of service".
My Manager than pulled out this book that she has received during her volunteer days on a local board. She encouraged me to read it as she knew I had previous experience working in the non-profit sector.
As I read this monograph, I had several "a-ha!" moments and became quite engaged in the book. Obviously, the social sector has different drivers compared to the business sector and how that applies to the way they "do business" is incredibly important. The "a-ha" moments started with the "Level 5 Leadership", continued with the "Hedgehog Concept" and followed through as Collin's compared the business sector to the social sector and laid out the concept summary.
An excellent quote:
"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline."
I would highly recommend this slim monograph for anyone that works in the social sector although it is certainly not limited to that demographic as anyone that wishes to augment their learnings from the main book, Good to Great would benefit as well.
My Manager than pulled out this book that she has received during her volunteer days on a local board. She encouraged me to read it as she knew I had previous experience working in the non-profit sector.
As I read this monograph, I had several "a-ha!" moments and became quite engaged in the book. Obviously, the social sector has different drivers compared to the business sector and how that applies to the way they "do business" is incredibly important. The "a-ha" moments started with the "Level 5 Leadership", continued with the "Hedgehog Concept" and followed through as Collin's compared the business sector to the social sector and laid out the concept summary.
An excellent quote:
"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline."
I would highly recommend this slim monograph for anyone that works in the social sector although it is certainly not limited to that demographic as anyone that wishes to augment their learnings from the main book, Good to Great would benefit as well.
bibliokris's review against another edition
4.0
Helpful to read about the "Good to Great" framework in terms of the social sector. Helped me understand more about what success looks like, and that greatness isn't just about making $ (of course!).
Quotes that resonated:
Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice & discipline.
You'll never fix the system; be great now.
Top level (best) leaders are ambitious 1st & foremost for the mission.
Leadership equals personal humility combined w/ professional will.
Quotes that resonated:
Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice & discipline.
You'll never fix the system; be great now.
Top level (best) leaders are ambitious 1st & foremost for the mission.
Leadership equals personal humility combined w/ professional will.
hkat's review against another edition
4.0
I had to read this for a class; I have not read the original Good to Great. I feel like I got a pretty good summary of the concepts of the original book and understood their relationship to non-profit/social sector organizations.
Overall, the writing style was easy to read and the accompanying graphics useful. The numerous stories from real organizations showed the concepts in action.
Looking forward to reading more from Mr. Collins!
Overall, the writing style was easy to read and the accompanying graphics useful. The numerous stories from real organizations showed the concepts in action.
Looking forward to reading more from Mr. Collins!