Success in business · Industrial management · Entrepreneurship
Built to Last by Jim Collins — Summary, Key Ideas & Quotes
1994355 pages✦ 3-min Big ideas★ 3.3 (10)
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What is Built to Last about?
"This is not a book about charismatic visionary leaders. It is not about visionary product concepts or visionary products or visionary market insights. Nor even is it about just having a corporate vision. This is a book about something far more important, enduring, and substantial. This is a book about visionary companies." So write James C. Collins and Jerry I.
Porras in this groundbreaking book that shatters myths, provides new insights, and gives practical guidance to those who would like to build landmark companies that stand the test of time.
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Collins and Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies - they have an average age of nearly one hundred years and have outperformed the general stock market by a factor of fifteen since 1926 - and studied each company in direct comparison to one of its top competitors.
They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day - as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?"
A glimpse inside
Visionary Companies vs. Visionary Leaders
A central argument in Built to Last is that enduring greatness stems from the company’s core ideology, not from a single charismatic leader or a breakthrough product. Collins and Porras show that visionary companies build strong cultures and systems that persist beyond any one individual. This means that the organization itself becomes the star, not just its founders or CEOs, allowing it to adapt and thrive across generations.
Preserve the Core, Stimulate Progress
Visionary companies balance continuity and change by fiercely preserving their core values and purpose while simultaneously driving relentless improvement and innovation. This duality—staying true to what matters most while never standing still—enables them to remain relevant and resilient. The authors call this the 'preserve the core/stimulate progress' principle, emphasizing that both stability and adaptability are essential for long-term success.
Ratings at a glance
Open Library
★ 3.3 / 5
10 ratings
Google Books
★ 5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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Get smart in 3 min
6 key ideas, distilled
- 1Visionary Companies vs. Visionary Leaders
- 2Preserve the Core, Stimulate Progress
- 3The ‘Genius of the AND’
- 4Clock Building, Not Time Telling
- 5Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs)
Popular quotes from Built to Last
“Clock Building, Not Time Telling.”
“Preserve the core and stimulate progress.”
“The only constant is change, but the best companies also have a constant core.”
“Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).”
Frequently asked
"This is not a book about charismatic visionary leaders. It is not about visionary product concepts or visionary products or visionary market insights. Nor even is it about just having a corporate vision. This is a book about something far more important, enduring, and substantial. This is a book about visionary companies." So write James C. Collins and Jerry I.
Porras in this groundbreaking book