As I was finishing this manuscript, I went for a run up a steep, rocky trail in Eldorado Springs Canyon, just south of my home in Boulder, Colorado. I had stopped on top at one of my favorite sitting places with a view of the high country still covered in its winter coat of snow, when an odd question popped into my mind: How much would someone have to pay me not to publish Good to Great?
It was an interesting thought experiment, given that I’d just spent the previous five years working on the research project and writing this book. Not that there isn’t some number that might entice me to bury it, but by the time I crossed the hundred-million-dollar threshold, it was time to head back down the trail. Even that much couldn’t convince me to abandon the project. I am a teacher at heart. As such, it is impossible for me to imagine not sharing what we’ve learned with students around the world. And it is in the spirit of learning and teaching that I bring forth this work.
After many months of hiding away like a hermit in what I call monk mode, I would very much enjoy hearing from people about what works for them and what does not. I hope you will find much of value in these pages and will commit to applying what you learn to whatever you do, if not to your company, then to your social sector work, and if not there, then at least to your own life.
—Jim Collins
jimcollins@aol.com
www.jimcollins.com
Boulder, Colorado
March 27, 2001