214 Quotes by James C. Collins

Comfort is not the objective in a visionary company. Indeed, visionary companies install powerful mechanisms to create /dis/comfort--to obliterate complacency--and thereby stimulate change and improvement /before/ the external world demands it.

Some managers are uncomfortable expressing emotion about their dreams, but that’s what motivates others.

The point is not to create a perfect statement but to gain a deep understanding of your organization’s core values and purpose, which can then be expressed in a multitude of ways. In fact, we often suggest that once the core has been identified, managers should generate their own statements of the core values and purpose to share with their groups.

...it is far more important to know who you are than where you are going, for where you are going will certainly change as the world about you changes.

A true BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals) is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines. A BHAG engages people—it reaches out and grabs them. It is tangible, energizing, highly focused. People get it right away; it takes little or no explanation.

To create an effective envisioned future requires a certain level of unreasonable confidence and commitment. Keep in mind that a BHAG is not just a goal; it is a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.

It’s not only the audacity of the goal but also the level of commitment to the goal that counts.

A company should not change its core values in response to market changes; rather, it should change markets, if necessary, to remain true to its core values.

Do not ask, What core values should we hold? Ask instead, What core values do we truly and passionately hold?