Wider application for Collins

Author Jim Collins, who has sold a gagillion copies of his business book Good to Great, will soon offer a companion in the form of a paperback monograph, Good to Great in the Social Sectors. As reported at the 800-CEO-READ blog, the 42-page work will offer supplemental material about applying Collins' ideas to the non-profit sector. His book and ideas are nothing new to those folks, but it's nice to see something more specifically targeted to that audience. Collins already offers a lot of material that likely will end up in the book in audio form on his web site, dealing with the idea that "the solution is not to be more like a business" and that "lack of resources is no excuse for lack of rigor."

The community theater director or the free medical clinic manager might wonder how the ideas of "Level 5 Leadership" and "the Hedgehog Concept" can work for them outside of the boardroom, but good thinking is good thinking. And in times of belt-tightening and an ever-increasing demand for return, it doesn't matter whether you're running a Fortune 500 company or a tiny service agency -- anything that can help you to get make the most of what you have is worth a look. Collins certainly has a track record in that regard. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact this new work will have.