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Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Century business)

By: James C. Collins Jerry I. Porras
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Business Books
ISBN: 0712679618
ISBN-13: 9780712679619
Released: 19 Mar 1998
RRP: £14.99
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Customer Reviews

Inspirational and thought-provoking - By: , 22 Oct 1999
I read this book last year & it has been invaluable in helping me to set up & run my own company based on clear guidelines such as vision, values & big hairy audacious goals! It's a must read for anyone who wants their business to succeed beyond their term of office.
OUTSTANDING VIEW OF HOW TO CREATE THE MOST LASTING SUCCESS - By: , 14 Aug 1999
The concept behind this book is brilliant: What makes companies that outperform their peers for decades enjoy that success? This approach gives the reader a chance to test whether the authors' ideas for improvement have made sense or not, beyond the logic they seem to display. I think this is one of the most important business books every published, for that reason. You get the rigor of academic analysis with the grace & ease of a consultant's effective communications. The most important lesson of this book is to create lasting ways of managing your business successfully, that will outlive the skills & perspective of any one person, no matter how talented. The book is fun to read. I liked the way the ideas were described: Big, Hairy, Audacious goals is a fun concept just from the title. One of the most useful ideas is that we need to hold conflicting ideas in our minds, such as "do more" & "spend less". English often suggests that conflicts exist in what can be done that do not reallly exist in practice. This is a great lesson in overcoming stallled thinking. This book is outstanding for "telling it like it is". Of particular interest to investors will be the stock-price charts showing how valuable these lessons are for public companies & their shareholders. A friend of mine introduced me to this book. He was particularly attracted to the message that charismatic leaders are not necessary. As a low-key, but effective, CEO, he found this to be a big relief. Some superb complementary books are DANCE OF CHANGE for sustaining organizational improvements (especiallly as a learning company), THE BALANCED SCORECARD for implementing strategy, & SMART CHOICES for improving your understanding of how to make difficult decisions (without alll the technical detail that would overwhelm many readers). Read BUILT TO LAST first, as you start these. If you are not sure what issues then to attack with your improved organization, consider Peter Drucker's list in MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. If you want to make progress with electronic commerce, be sure to read CUSTOMERS.COM. May your company become a study example for some future edition of BUILT TO LAST!