Beyond Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company

By James C. Collins and William C. Lazier

Book Overview

"This is a hands-on guide to making your company a compelling marketplace force."- Industry Week Every great company, no matter how large or small, has as its core a compelling vision. Beyond Entrepreneurship explains step by step how any firm can develop this vision and achieve enduring greatness. It provides a complete blueprint for steering your company to success. Packed with real-world examples of firms that have grown and attained corporate greatness-including Nike, L.L. Bean, Mrs. Fields' Cookies, Sony, and FedEx-this inspirational yet practical book . . . Covers in depth the five key elements common to all great enduring companies Shows how to lay a foundation for greatness while a company is still small and adaptable . . . how to set values, purpose, and mission, and instill them into the very roots of your organization Demonstrates how to develop the most effective leadership style for your specific situation Shows how to translate vision into effective day-to-day business tactics -and how to foster consistent tactical excellence in everything your company does Explains how to resolve the critical strategic issues faced by every small and mid-sized firm Prevents a set of concepts-and a host of practical techniques-for stimulating creativity and maintaining innovation as the company evolves " Beyond Entrepreneurship is a blueprint for becoming great." - Entrepreneur Magazine

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0133815269
• ISBN13: 9780133815269
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Recommended

Another great book by James Collins. I believe the authors did a great job with this book. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be a great manager and entrepreneur.

Most Applicable Planning Book I Have Read

I have read a number of books on strategic planning. They all generally follow a very similar approach. However, Jim Collins has done a masterful job putting the theory into a format that is easily understood and easily applied to solve real problems. I initially used the book to lead the strategic planning process for the technical support department of a major software company. The results were astounding. I have since used the book to help many other organizations and have found the book equally appropriate for each engagement. Using the concepts in this book will dramatically help your organization.

Important Questions...Practical Answers

Collins and Lazier wrote this book for those who seek answers to questions such as these:1. What kind of leadership must you provide to your organization so that it will achieve the performance, impact, reputation, and longevity it needs...not only to succeed but to sustain that success?2. How can you formulate an appropriate vision for your organization and then galvanize the commitment and efforts of others to achieve that vision?3. What are the tough decisions to be made when selecting those strategies which are needed?4. Meanwhile, what must be done to create and then sustain a culture within which innovative thinking is not only encouraged but nourished?5. What is "tactical excellence"? What must be done to create an environment within which it is achieved and then (once again, a key word) sustained?If you need answers to these questions, Collins and Lazier provide them.

Rare combination of sound theory with guide to implement

I'm always suspicious of books that offer easy to follow implementations, and particularly on a subject as important as setting corporate values. This book is an exception. It's both inspirational and practical. It's required reading by all of our management staff (this gives us a common understanding of often used works such as vision, core values, etc.). We've used this book for four years, and we're a better company because of it.

This book is an outstanding guide to building a great compan

I found this book truly inspirational. I am CEO of an internet start up. This book really captures the essense of my personal philosophy, while codifying and augmenting it. It give a roadmap for how to build the foundations of a great company and how to execute on a daily basis. I am ordering it for all my senior managers

Useful and insightful

An extremely practical and insightful view into the role of strategy in entrepreneurship. Chapter Two, Vision, is particularly good, with lots of excellent examples and a great overall framework for developing a vision. Chapter 3, Strategy is also very useful, particularly in its discussion of issues associated with the pursuit of growth. An excellent book for anyone starting up their own business or looking to give direction to their existing business.