12/14/14: 4:19 PM
This week I read further into the book Good to Great by Jim Collins.
Throughout this weeks reading, I came across some really interesting passages that once again pertain to this class. One of the lines that Jim Collins is: "The good-to-great companies probably sound like tough places to work and they are. If you don't have what it takes, you probably won't last long. But they're not ruthless cultures, they're rigorous cultures. And the distinction is crucial."
What I have noticed is that as the work load of the company is getting more "rigorous," some people are becoming stressed and overwhelmed. They think that, as Jim Collins tries to reduce, our C4E is ruthless and that they will either do a great job or not do well at all. And since some people (people that do sports, after school activities, etc.) don't have a lot of time to do work, they will become stressed and feel like the class is way too much for them to handle, and then slack off. I think that for the C4E Associates to fully flourish is to let people know that their work simply has to demonstrate effort (at least some) to show that they can survive.
One thing that stuck out to me while I was reading was on page 54. Here, Collins talks about lay-offs. What he finds is that the "comparison companies ... used [layoffs] five times more frequently that the good-to-great companies." This stuck out to me because it makes perfectly logical sense. I feel that the people at top management of a company would keep new employees filtering in and out of the company to bring in new ideas. However, with the employees turning over all the time, ideas would not have a chance to develop into a greater business model. When employees stay for longer, they understand the company more thoroughly and can therefore make better decisions and have ideas that are more pertinent to the advancement of the country.
More commentary to come next week!
C4E Associate:
Noah Mark
I wasn't aware that the work was mounting and students were feeling so stressed. I'll have to keep my eye out for this. You're reading an important book for thinking about the difference between merely getting the work done and excelling. "Great" means that the work adds meaning--to your customer but also to yourself. As you go forward with your projects, look for work that gives you meaning. (I'm concerned that your water bottle project does not yet do this.)
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