There are books that I continue to see quoted regularly. Good to Great is among them. This book was published in 2001 after five years of study trying to find great companies that outperform their direct competitors. They selected 11 large American companies, assembled thousands of pages of interviews and reflected on what separates good companies from great ones. Good to Great is the conclusion of that research.

The book is still as relevant today as it was at publication time, as the best books are. Good to Great is a great nonfiction book. There is a lot of wisdom, lessons, insights, principles, always illustrated with countless anecdotes. Most of the book consists of short stories of good and great companies to better understand the differences between them. This book challenges so many common beliefs.

If you work for a great company, the book will make obvious what is not always obvious when experienced from the inside. And if you work for a good company, you will learn that good is the enemy of great. Good companies do not simply turn into great companies over time. Great companies simply operate differently.