Good to Great

Good to Great is a business book but the principles port very easily to church culture and personal leadership development. We use this book in Discipleship 3 exclusively. It complements the Discipleship Pathway steps 10-12 very well. We use Good to Great in three very specific ways:

1. Champion great leadership
2. Develop visionary thinking
3. Spur disciples to dream of a great ministry

Jim Collins outlines six concepts that take good organizations from good to great. We guide disciples to inspect their organization, business, or departments against these characteristics. Our goals are to champion workers, leaders, and influencers to think with a “great” mindset. More importantly, we ask disciples to compare Collins’ ten characteristics to Biblical truth and determine if the principles are Biblical or, merely, human. We read and review the book over three weeks using the following breakdown with a few sample connections and ideas in the event that disciples make no connections on their own,

Week One

Chapter 1 : Good is the Enemy of Great
Settling for “good enough” prevents individuals and organizations from achieving true greatness.

• Mediocrity displeases God. Revelation 3:16
• Strive for greatness with focus and discipline. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Chapter 2 : Level 5 Leadership
A combination of personal humility and professional will.

• Micah 6:8, 1 Timothy 3, 1 Peter 5

Chapter 3 : First Who… Then What
Get the right people on the bus (and the wrong ones off) before you determine where to go.
Jesus’ approach to ministry again and again. But remember, God hired almost exclusively from the pool of unqualified.

• People should be recruited primarily for their character and work ethic rather than for education, skills, or knowledge that can be acquired on the job. 1 Timothy 3
• When in doubt, don’t hire and keep looking. Romans 14:23
• When you know that you need to make a change, act.
• Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems. Saul and David, David and Mighty Men
  

Week Two

Chapter 4 : Confront the Brutal Facts
Companies cannot make great decisions without first confronting reality.

• Lead with questions, not answers. James 1
• Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion. 2 Timothy 3:6
• When mistakes happen, conduct autopsies without blame. Jesus and the disciples when they did not know to pray and fast.

Chapter 5 : Hedgehog Principle
Find your greatest passion, product/service, and economic driver.

• Lead with your passion. Colossians 3:23-24
• Do what you can be great at. Ephesians 4:11-18 A bunch of great coming together to make a great church. Romans 12:6-8
• Focus on the single thing that drives the greatest result. Philippains 3:13-14, Luke 10:41-42, Psalm 27:4

Chapter 6 : Culture of Discipline
Disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action play critical roles in allowing an organization to thrive with minimal bureaucracy.

• identify self-disciplined people that are willing and able to go to extreme lengths to fulfill their responsibilities. 2 Samuel 23:14-16, Luke 16:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:11
• having a fanatical adherence to the Hedgehog Concept and the willingness to shun opportunities that don’t fit. See verses and notes for “single thing” above.
• a culture of discipline is not just about taking action but ensuring those actions contribute to a larger whole. 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4

Week Three

Chapter 7 : Technology Accelerators
The thoughtless pursuit of technology is a liability, not an asset. Innovation alone cannot turn a good enterprise into a great one.

• Any instance of the people longing to see the miracles of Jesus instead of focusing on the core message.

Chapter 8 : The Flywheel and Doom Loop
Breakthroughs come from consistent, disciplined effort that builds momentum (flywheel), while quick fixes and inconsistency (doom loop) destroy progress.

• “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) → Steady, faithful action yields fruit.
• “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16:10) → Small consistent actions matter.
• “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5) → Endurance beats shortcuts.

Chapter 9 : From Good to Great to Built to Last
Enduring greatness requires embedding core values and cultivating leaders who preserve the mission while adapting strategies.

• “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) → Core values remain constant.
• “But test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) → Preserve the core, adapt what must change.
• “And the things you have heard me say… entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2) → Build a legacy by passing on vision and values.

Interestingly, Collins divides these six concepts into three phases of growth from Good to Great.

• Disciplined People
• Disciplined Thought
• Disciplined Actions

Again, these three phases give an opportunity to expand the “Be Comes Before Do” concept of spiritual growth and the idea that healthy people do healthy things. These three phases of growth from good to great are a great recipe for being a great leader. We push the idea that even successful, secular innovators and researchers are still inspecting and learning about the world that God created. Many contemporary “discoveries” are actually anchored in God’s design and desire for human living. This is an easy read and a self-starting book to review IF you pay attention to the context of each disciple. Not everyone is in business but stay at home parents lead families and those that serve well usually end up leading somewhere. Connect these principles to the disciples’ individual lives as you disciple them individually.