Book Review: How the Mighty Fall

Ten years ago Jim Collins wrote his definitive book on organization and management, "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap, And Others Don't."

Collins combines a researcher's brain and a story-tellers wit. And his principles could be heard far and wide--from college basketball coaches to corporate board rooms to church staff meetings.

In fact so many non-profits used the book that Collins wrote a companion book for non-profits called "Good to Great and the Social Sectors."

It was one of my first organizational books and it shaped my thinking about more than most anything else.

Collins has recently unleashed his gifts once again in studying companies--only this time, his focus is on companies going in the opposite direction: as they go down.

"How the Mighty Fall" chronicles the demise of several formerly great companies, including several that had been featured a decade earlier in "Good to Great."

The core insight gleaned from the research is that contrary to what would be expected, great companies didn't collapse due to apathy. They collapsed because they over-reached.

Specifically, these companies that fell from greatness (i.e. Circuit City, r.i.p.) attempted to expand beyond their ability to put the right people in place to sustain the pace of growth.

Collins suggests that these companies confused greatness with bigness. A problem that I have absolutely no experience with.

Overall, this book makes a fantastic companion to "Good to Great" and provides spectacular cautions to people who are prone to push too hard towards growth.

Check it out if you're in any place of influence or leadership in your work, church, or other ministry.