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Book : Great by Choice • by Jim Collins and Morten Hansen
Why It ’ s a Must-Read : This latest book by Good to Great best-selling author Jim Collins , co-authored with UC Berkeley School of Information professor Morten Hansen , looks at the key behaviors or traits of leaders and companies that excel in tumultuous times , such as economic instability .
This book , a follow up of Collin ’ s global bestseller Good to Great , is without question one new title that should be in every CEO ’ s and leader ’ s bookshelf . It offers thought-provoking leadership concepts backed by years of research on multiple companies with varying success results in the business arena .
They compared what they called “ 10Xers ”— a set of major companies like Intel , Southwest Airlines , Microsoft and Biomet — that achieved spectacular results over 15 or more years while operating in unstable environments to those with less successful reputations .
According to the authors , what separate 10Xers is how they behave amidst chaos — they didn ’ t survive on chaos , they survived in chaos . All 10Xers have common behavioral traits — fanatic discipline , empirical creativity , and productive paranoia — held together by a central motivating force which the authors call “ Level 5 Ambition ”— the passion for a higher calling and the will to do whatever it takes to fight for their calling or for a cause .
By definition , fanatic discipline is extreme consistency of action without overreacting to events . Empirical creativity is bold and creative moves from a sound empirical base . Productive paranoia , on the one hand , means being highly attuned to threats and changes particularly when things are going well . Fear is channeled into preparation , contingency plans , buffers and margins of safety .
The book inspires readers to evaluate themselves and their behavior when faced with chaos and circumstances . The authors ask : When the moment comes — when we ’ re afraid , exhausted , or tempted — what choice do we make ? Do we abandon our values ? Do we give in ? Do we accept average performance because that ’ s what most everyone else accepts ? Do we capitulate to the pressure of the moment ? Do we give up on our dreams when we ’ ve been slammed by brutal facts ?
Want more on Jim Collins ? Look out for the March / April issue of Pulse to read more . Plus , find out how you can be in the front rows of a life-changing Jim Collins session .
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January / February 2012 ■ PULSE 63