Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Building a G.R.E.A.T. Company

Defining a Great Company
In the article “Good to Great,” Jim Collins defined a great company in the following manner: "The good-to-great examples that made the final cut into the study attained extraordinary results; averaging cumulative stock returns 6.9 times the general market in the fifteen years following their transition points. These are remarkable numbers, made all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that they came from companies that had previously been so utterly unremarkable.”

This is a fine definition for companies which are large enough for you and me to know about and be their customers; but what about small- to mid-size companies? For this market, I would add to Collins’ definition by saying that great small to mid-size companies are also defined by LOVE, a term I do not use lightly.

In small to mid-size companies, the primary stakeholders LOVE a great company. The owners LOVE the company because of superior financial performance and because they see their firms as their life’s work. The CEOs LOVE the company because it enables them to make a difference in the world and leave a powerful and potent legacy. The customers LOVE a great company because it provides superior service. And the employees LOVE a great company, as demonstrated by the performance of the company and employee retention.

Interested in learning more about my small business programs?  visit the CMI website.

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