This book was perfect for someone entering the business world with a new company. I loved it and it should be a guide for companies that are new or looking to realign themselves with a new vision. There were only a few main components that need to be followed when outlining a visionary company, however, those key concepts are fundamental to get right. It's not as simple as laying out a few great-sounding sentences like making people happy, driving shareholder wealth, and profit for our employees. It is about getting down to the fundamentals of the reason your company exists, and if it wants to go about a business venture that doesn't align with that, then it shouldn't be done. It must stay within the confines of its vision, purpose, and guiding principles because the company's moves are being interpreted by many different levels in the organization, and the consumer. This keeping it simple method and breaking it down to the very basics is something I learned from this book. I liked the "Why?" experiment, which is to take what you believe in or are trying to sell and ask yourself "Why?" about five times, and then you will have your reason for being.

So a company like Facebook might want to...

Offer a service online that acts as a portal between people.

WHY?

To connect people that otherwise wouldn't be able to connect.

WHY?

People who are connected have a better sense of community and being whole.

WHY?

A sense of community gives people a sense of purpose.

WHY?

Purpose gives life meaning.

This is something of a thought experiment myself, and not something that is in the book, but you can see how by breaking down the WHY, you can pull purpose and gives life meaning can be pulled from offering an online service to the public.

This book to me can be extrapolated to many different sectors of your own life, not just business, and not just for leaders. This can be used to give yourself direction in life, not for the immediate returns, but something to follow for decades to come. I was very happy to find this book, and highly recommend it to someone at any level of business leadership!

A spiritual epiphany was not what I expected when I took 'Built to Last' on a business trip to read on the plane.

I can still remember the moment. I was reading Collins's chapter on the tension between preserving the core while stimulating progress and it struck me..... 'If there's any organization that should be preserving its core values while stimulating progress it's the Church - If there's anyone who should practice this it is Jesus' followers.'

That was the end of the book for that trip.

I still have the ticket stub on which I started working through the burning question Collins raised for me - 'What are my core values as a follower of Christ?'.

I did not complete that effort on that flight. In fact, that moment of epiphany led to a meditative process that literally lasted for years as I worked to distill five core values I hold that are rooted in the words of God and speak deeply to where I feel God has called me as I follow Him.

It was well worth the process.

Many have written of the business impact of this book. I have nothing to add to that discussion. But the influence it has had on my spiritual life has been profound.

The single most important point to take away from this book is the critical importance of creating tangible mechanisms aligned to preserve the core and stimulate progress. This is the essence of clock building.

5 specific methods to do preserve the core and stimulate progress:
*BHAGs: Commitment to challenging, audacious - and often risky - goals and projects toward which a visionary company channels its efforts (stimulates progress)
*Cult-like Cultures: Great places to work only for those who buy into the core ideology; those that don't fit with the ideology are ejected like a virus (preserves the core)
*Try a Lot of Stuff and Keep What Works: High levels of action and experimentation - often unplanned and undirected - that produce new and unexpected paths of progress and enables visionary companies to mimic the biological evolution of species (stimulates progress)
*Home-grown Management: Promotion from within, bringing to senior levels only those who've spent significant time steeped in the core ideology of the company (preserves the core)
*Good Enough Never Is: A continual process of relentless self-improvement with the aim of doing better and better, forever into the future (stimulates progress)

“Having a great idea or being a charismatic visionary leader is “time telling”; building a company that can prosper far beyond the presence of any single leader and through multiple product life cycles is “clock building.”

“The only truly reliable source of stability is a strong inner core and the willingness to change and adapt everything except that core.”

“Visionary companies are so clear about what they stand for and what they’re trying to achieve that they simply don’t have room for those unwilling or unable to fit their exacting standards.”

“Indeed, if there is any one “secret” to an enduring great company, it is the ability to manage continuity and change—a discipline that must be consciously practiced, even by the most visionary of companies.”

“Comfort is not the objective in a visionary company. Indeed, visionary companies install powerful mechanisms to create /dis/comfort--to obliterate complacency--and thereby stimulate change and improvement /before/ the external world demands it.”

“If you are a prospective entrepreneur with the desire to start and build a visionary company but have not yet taken the plunge because you don’t have a “great idea,” we encourage you to lift from your shoulders the burden of the great-idea myth. Indeed, the evidence suggests that it might be better to not obsess on finding a great idea before launching a company. Why? Because the great-idea approach shifts your attention away from seeing the company as your ultimate creation.”

12 Myths Shattered
Myth 1: It takes a great idea to start a great company.
Myth 2: Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders.
Myth 3: The most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits.
Myth 4: Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values.
Myth 5: The only constant is change.
Myth 6: Blue-chip companies play it safe.
Myth 7: Visionary companies are great places to work, for everyone.
Myth 8: Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning.
Myth 9: Companies should hire outside CEOs to stimulate fundamental change.
Myth 10: The most successful companies focus primarily on beating the competition
Myth 11: You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Myth 12: Companies become visionary primarily through "vision statements."

Collins' previously reviewed book, Good to Great, is a top-ten business classic. In it, he and his researchers asked the research question, "what attributes separate the great companies from the merely good?"

In this earlier book (which seems in some ways like a sequel) he asks, "what attributes separate the great companies with staying power from those whose star fades over time?"

Wal-Mart is compared to Ames, Boeing to McDonnell-Douglass, IBM to Burroughs, and so on for 18 different comparisons. Collins and crew cull out nine principles separating those built to last from the control group:

1) Clock building, not time telling
2) No tyranny of the 'or'
3) More than profits
4) Preserve the core / Stimulate progress
5) Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs)
6) Cult-like cultures
7) Try a lot of stuff and see what works
8) Home-grown management
9) Good enough never is

Some of those are likely self-explanatory; others likely not. Before you go off and create your own cult, you should read the book. It is recommended.

Allt of löng, allt of mikil endurtekning. Svakaleg korpó-dýrkun. Ekki að ég hafi ekki vitað hvað ég var að koma mér út í. Fín fyrir það sem hún ætlaði sér I guess

Another step in the Good to Great series. All educational and worth the read. The key aspects of Built to Last is simple premise, the review of the visionary companies, and how it is not the product or the idea but the Core Values, “preserve the core”. Many of the visionary reviewed in the study have continued to be visionary with multiple product and services.

3M, American Express, Boeing, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Proctor & Gamble, Sony and Wal-Mart.

All of these and others listed have made an impact on the world, it was not about making a better product but making the world a better place. All Positive aspects and why these organizations are visionary and are in a visionary class. It is not about the Product or the Leader but about the “Core Values” that make each of these organizations unique and great.

As others have shared “The single most important point to take away from this book is the critical importance of creating tangible mechanisms aligned to preserve the core and stimulate progress. This is the essence of clock building.

Make the time for the read, worthwhile.

کتاب رو ۲ نفر استاد دانشگاه نوشتن، و تقریبا مطلقا از تجربه خودشون صحبت نمی‌کنن. سوالی که داشتن اینه که یه سری شرکت‌ها ویژنری میشن و طی مدت زمان طولانی (چند دهه) همیشه جزو پیشروهای بازارشون هستن، چه خاصیتی باعث میشه یه شرکتی ویژنری بشه؟

برای جواب دادن، یه تعداد خوبی شرکت ویژنری رو انتخاب کردن، و فقط شرکت‌هایی رو انتخاب کردن که براشون شرکت مشابه داشتن: شرکتی که تقریبا با شرکت اصلی همزمان تاسیس شده، خیلی شبیهش بوده و تا یه جایی هم پا به پای شرکت اصلی جلو اومده، ولی بعدش ازش عقب مونده. مثلا برای بررسی سونی شباهت‌ها و تفاوت‌هاش رو با کنوود در نظر گرفتن، برای فورد، جنرال موتورز، و... و البته اینکه فقط شرکت‌هایی رو در نظر گرفتن که قبل از ۱۹۵۰ تاسیس شدن و تا زمان نوشته شدن کتاب (دهه ۹۰ فک کنم) هنوز سر پا موندن و ویژنری هستن، این کار رو کردن که مطمئن بشن قدرت این شرکت به ساختار و تیمشه نه موسسش، نه یه فرد خاص.

نتیجه اینه که یه سری نکته/راه‌حل/ویژگی پیدا کردن که شرکت‌های ویژنری دارن‌شون، و مقصودشون اینه که برای اینکه یه شرکت ویژنری بسازید باید این کارها رو بکنید. طبیعتا یه سری از این کارا بدیهی هستن برای همه، ولی فک کنم هر کسی که به این موضوع علاقه داشته باشه یه سری از این نکته‌ها براش تازه باشن. نه از این جنس که اصل هر کدوم از این ویژگی‌ها تازگی داشته باشن، ولی احتمالا تو جزییاتشون نکته‌های جدید زیادی برای اکثر افراد داشته باشه، یا حداقل برای من داشت.

و البته یه نکته بد هم داره کتاب: اینکه شرکت‌هایی رو که قدیم تاسیس شدن رو مقایسه می‌کنه باعث میشه خیلی‌هاش رو ما نشناسیم (به خصوص شرکت‌هایی که برای مقایسه در نظر گرفته) و حجم زیادی نکته از دست بره.

این رو هم بگم که با اینکه ازش خیلی خوشم اومد، ولی به نظرم اصلا به درد استارتاپ نمی‌خوره، به خصوص ۲-۳ سال اول، و اینکه توی شرکتت برای این نوع مسائل واقعا وقت بذاری و براشون انرژی صرف کنی به نظرم یه شکم سیری خاصی می‌خواد! و گذشته از شکم سیری، خیلی‌هاش واقعا دغدغه‌هاییه که بعد از موفقیت‌های اولیه برای شرکت به وجود میاد: مثلا یکی از فصل‌هاش در مورد اینه که شرکت‌های ویژنری فقط به سود فکر نمی‌کنن و دنبال هدف‌های بزرگتری هستن و خیلی جاها سود رو برای اون هدف کنار می‌ذارن. حالا پیدا کنید استارتاپی که سودآوره

"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras is a seminal work that delves deep into the DNA of some of the world's most successful and enduring companies. This book is not just about building a company that thrives today but about creating an organization that stands the test of time.

One of the most impressive aspects of this book is its rigorous research methodology. Collins and Porras conducted a six-year study at Stanford University, analyzing 18 exceptional companies and comparing them with their competitors. This empirical approach lends incredible credibility to their insights and conclusions.

The authors introduce the concept of "Clock Building, Not Time Telling," emphasizing the importance of building an organization that can endure beyond any single product or leader. For example, they discuss how Walt Disney created a company rooted in timeless values and a strong culture, allowing it to innovate and succeed long after his passing.

Another standout idea is the "Genius of the AND," which encourages companies to reject the tyranny of the "either/or" and embrace the "both/and" mindset. A prime example is Merck, which has consistently focused on both cutting-edge research and strong financial performance, proving that companies don't have to sacrifice one for the other.

The book also explores the power of cult-like cultures in visionary companies. Firms like Nordstrom have cultivated a strong set of values and norms that employees embrace wholeheartedly, leading to exceptional customer service and loyalty. This strong internal culture becomes a driving force for sustained success.

Collins and Porras delve into the significance of setting "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" (BHAGs). Companies like Boeing set nearly impossible objectives—such as creating the first commercial jet airliner—which propelled them to innovate and achieve greatness that seemed unattainable.

What sets "Built to Last" apart is its focus on practical application. The authors don't just present theories; they provide actionable frameworks and principles that leaders can implement to cultivate visionary qualities within their own organizations.

I finally managed to finish the book I started a long time ago. On a subliminal level, I recognize that this is an important book, but it’s quite tedious to read. There’s no doubt that the book is packed with valuable information. Anyone leading an organization will undoubtedly find numerous insights to help them in clock-building. However, in my opinion, (which is absolutely subjective) the book’s instructive tone makes it boring to read. Although I managed to finish it, I can only rate it three stars despite its undeniable value. Cause whenever I came across a more engaging book, I would set Collins' book aside and prefer finishing the other one first. I believe it could have been written in a more engaging and enjoyable manner.

Pretty good but dated, and some of the words of wisdom failed in some of the cases. Enjoyed the discussion of the visionary plan of Freddie Mac to change the mortgage industry to benefit more people starting in 1992. The noted that these changes might out live the secondary mortgage industry... probably happened not the way they planned.

3.5 rounded up because it made me smile, had some catchy phrases, and was super short.

Preserve the core! Stimulate progress!

Part of a project at work