Jim Collins

Jim Collins on Tough Calls

I. CASE BACKGROUNDJim Collins is a student and teacher of enduring great companies, how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies. Having invested over a decade of research into the topic, Jim has authored or co-authored four books, including the classic BUILT TO LAST, which has been a fixture on the Business Week best seller list for more than six years, and has been translated into 29 languages.

Jim Collins have done extensive research on the subject of management and this has made him one of the most in demand public speaker when it comes to management expertise. Jim began his career as a professor at Stanford’s business school and was even honored as an outstanding teacher. He then later entered the consultancy business and also as a writer/contributor for top magazines and periodicals such as Harvard, Fortune and Business Week. He published several books that catapulted his fame including the books Good to Great and How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In.

In this article “Jim Collins on Tough Calls,” he tackled one of the most important areas of management which is decision-making. It shapes the future of the company and how it will position itself in the coming future. He then elaborated the concept of decision by WHO and not by WHAT. Outlined in this article is the notion that having people is not enough, but having the right people.

He gave concrete examples of well-known and most admired companies such as Boeing, Wells Fargo, Hewlett Packard and Wal-Mart and

how these companies became great due to their decision making strategy. Jim revealed through his numerous researches that companies thrived on trusting and having the right people that will help the CEO move the company forward and beyond. Like his research laboratory, he finds debates within the company healthy and...