Good to Great

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What are the qualities associated with effective leadership? Why is teamwork important within the workplace?

Teaching Suggestion: Jim Collins’s Good to Great explores key elements that can be implemented to take companies from good to great. Among these key elements are effective leadership and teamwork. Consider permitting students to answer the questions before reading the articles to inspire discussion. Then consider creating a list of the elements in each article for students to compare as they read the book.

• This article explores the characteristics of good leaders.
• This article analyzes examples of teamwork in various business models.

Short Activity

Identify the qualities and strengths that are typically associated with a great company. Consider these points in your discussion:

• What factors may identify a company as great?
• What are the qualities of an effective leader?
• Is teamwork important in the work environment? Why or why not?
• Is there a connection between passion and profit?
• What is the most important pursuit of a company?

·        What is the role of adversity within a team?

Teaching Suggestion: In Collins’s 2001 book, he analyzes the aspects of different companies and the effects of their operation on their business. Consider discussing what defines a company as great, especially in contrast to what Collins claims defines a company as great. Students may find it beneficial to list the names of good and great companies to reflect on their business strategies as they read the book. Students may also find it beneficial to analyze great companies and identify some of the key concepts of the book prior to reading. One way students can complete this activity is to record their thoughts about what constitutes a great company, either after or in lieu of a discussion. Consider having students revisit and review these written responses throughout the book to reflect on changes or identify additions they wish to make to their original lists.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Collins claims, within the context of business, that “[g]ood is the enemy of the great.” Consider this aphorism from the context of your personal or work life. Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: It may benefit students to first identify what specific elements or things they consider great in their lives versus what they consider good, then examine what characteristics they use to define great and good, and finally analyze how all of those interact within the context of Collins’s aphorism.