Built to Last
Collins, James C., Jim Collins
The prequel study by Collins and Jerry Porras uses the same paired-comparison method to show how visionary companies endure, pairing naturally with Good to Great's frameworks.
12 books to read next
Books Like Good to Great
If you loved Good to Great by Jim Collins
Readers come to Good to Great for its research-driven answer to a big question: why do some ordinary companies become exceptional while similar rivals stall? They love the memorable frameworks, such as Level 5 leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, getting the right people on the bus and the flywheel, all grounded in paired company comparisons. The tone is calm and evidence-based rather than motivational, and the ideas are simple enough to apply on Monday morning.
More from rigorous company research
In Search of Excellence
Thomas Peters
The classic study of what well-run companies share. If you enjoyed Collins's search for common traits among top performers, this is the book that started the genre.
The Innovator's Dilemma
Clayton M. Christensen
A research-based look at why strong, well-managed companies still fail when disruptive technologies arrive, complementing Collins's thinking on technology and decline.
Leadership with humility and discipline
Leaders Eat Last
Simon Sinek
Explores why trust-building, self-sacrificing leaders create loyal teams, echoing the modest, organisation-first spirit of Collins's Level 5 leaders.
Extreme Ownership
Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
Two former Navy SEAL officers argue leaders must own every outcome. Readers drawn to Collins's culture of discipline will find a blunt, practical version here.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick M. Lencioni
A short business fable about the trust and accountability needed in a leadership team, a useful companion to getting the right people on the bus.
Sharper strategy and focus
Good Strategy, Bad Strategy
Richard P. Rumelt
Rumelt cuts through vague goals to define real strategy, much as the Hedgehog Concept forces companies to focus on what they can truly be best at.
Essentialism
Greg McKeown
Applies the discipline of doing fewer things better to individuals and teams, a personal-scale version of Collins's warning against the curse of competence.
Playing to win
A. G. Lafley
Former Procter & Gamble chief Lafley and Roger Martin lay out a clear set of strategic choices, grounded in real company decisions, for readers who liked Collins's practical frameworks.
Real stories of building greatness
Shoe Dog
Phil Knight
Nike's founder tells the messy early story of building the company, showing the long, slow flywheel push that Collins describes from the inside.
The Ride of a Lifetime
Robert Iger
Disney's former CEO reflects on leading a large company through change, offering a first-person view of the leadership qualities Collins studied.
No Rules Rules
Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer
Hastings and Erin Meyer explain Netflix's high-talent, high-freedom culture, a modern take on Collins's idea that disciplined people need less bureaucracy.
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