Great Biz Read: Built to Last

Entrepreneur:

Of the thousands of business books published in the last 30 years, only a handful have withstood the assaults of changing times and changing objectives to remain as relevant today as when they first came out. This week we present five books worthy of space on any entrepreneur’s shelf–now and in the future.

Our last book, Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras.

Pairing iconoclastic recommendations with lots of research and careful analysis, this book started Collins on his way to becoming probably today’s most widely read and influential business writer. The authors picked 18 visionary companies that had survived an average of 50 years and attempted to dissect what made them so long-lived. In Built to Last, Collins and Porras compared their companies with more pedestrian companies. Visionary company Hewlett-Packard, for instance, was set against Texas Instruments.

The co-authors dismantle many longstanding beliefs, including that successful businesses must be founded by charismatic leaders. It’s more important, they said, to have strong core values and extremely ambitious goals.

One of the book’s most appealing attributes is a highly readable writing style. Despite the authors’ analytical bent, the text flows like a fictional narrative. And the positive tone suggests that if these companies can do it, you can, too.

Collins and Porras have more traction at this moment than any others on this list. Collins’ second book, Good to Great, written without Porras, was if anything better received than Built to Last. To get up-to-date with business thought leaders, look to Collins’ works.

Photo by HarperCollins.

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