How the Mighty Fall

Summary:

Decline can be avoided.

Decline can be detected.

Decline can be reversed.

Amidst the desolate landscape of fallen great companies, Jim Collins began to wonder: How do the mighty fall? Can decline be detected early and avoided? How far can a company fall before the path toward doom becomes inevitable and unshakable? How can companies reverse course?

In How the Mighty Fall, Collins confronts these questions, offering leaders the well-founded hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course

Comment:

“Collins tackles the question begged by “Good to Great”… why do so many companies stop being great and how does that happen?

Rather than resting on their laurels, he finds that successful companies (like individuals!) start to believe their own press releases, thinking themselves invincible, and over-reach. Eventually they take a risk that does not turn out the way they hoped and their aura, brand, and business come crashing down!

This finding complements work we have done to identify how moderately successful companies harness a crisis to transform themselves into market leaders. “