Jim Collins is a very important figure in the world of business and leadership. Among his best known books are Built to Last and Good to Great.
Recently I was asked to watch a speech that he gave in 2015 (found HERE). In it, Collins talks about what he learned about leadership while serving as Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point. There is one small section of the speech, from 26:47 – 27:30 to be precise, that we had to share.....
“If I could take away one thing from that experience, that I wish I could bottle and put into every organization, it would be this idea that we succeed at our very best only when we help others succeed. This idea that when you’re facing serious challenges or inadequacies or difficulty or risk or fear, that the response is let me help you. And to create this incredible idea which is you are never alone.”
Collins is saying that success in any organization is seen in helping others especially amidst your suffering. It is the choice, to go out and give, when every part of you is otherwise scared, afraid, or facing challenges, that makes success something altogether more profound.
Collins is not a pastor or priest. His life focus is business. He is a consultant. He is a Stanford guy who spent time working with McKinsey and is a frequently published author and speaker for the Harvard Business Review and other such top flight platforms.
And yet, his one take away, his summary statement as the expert in business leadership, is something that reads like a homily.
Going out to help people when every part of you is telling you to protect and hide and runaway is not natural. I suggest it’s not the work of a business person. Rather, it’s spiritual work. And I believe it is the spiritual work of a follower of Christ, who recklessly stays hidden at the foot of the cross and takes his or her mission into business. And that’s a mission that means business.
Recently I was asked to watch a speech that he gave in 2015 (found HERE). In it, Collins talks about what he learned about leadership while serving as Chair for the Study of Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point. There is one small section of the speech, from 26:47 – 27:30 to be precise, that we had to share.....
“If I could take away one thing from that experience, that I wish I could bottle and put into every organization, it would be this idea that we succeed at our very best only when we help others succeed. This idea that when you’re facing serious challenges or inadequacies or difficulty or risk or fear, that the response is let me help you. And to create this incredible idea which is you are never alone.”
Collins is saying that success in any organization is seen in helping others especially amidst your suffering. It is the choice, to go out and give, when every part of you is otherwise scared, afraid, or facing challenges, that makes success something altogether more profound.
Collins is not a pastor or priest. His life focus is business. He is a consultant. He is a Stanford guy who spent time working with McKinsey and is a frequently published author and speaker for the Harvard Business Review and other such top flight platforms.
And yet, his one take away, his summary statement as the expert in business leadership, is something that reads like a homily.
Going out to help people when every part of you is telling you to protect and hide and runaway is not natural. I suggest it’s not the work of a business person. Rather, it’s spiritual work. And I believe it is the spiritual work of a follower of Christ, who recklessly stays hidden at the foot of the cross and takes his or her mission into business. And that’s a mission that means business.