Book · 2001
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
A researcher spends five years asking why a handful of mediocre companies suddenly started beating the market and never stopped.
What does Reddit think of Good to Great?
Thirteen recognized references across seven years, split between r/smallbusiness and r/Entrepreneur, and almost none of them stand alone. Good to Great mostly turns up as one line inside longer book-list dumps, filed next to Zero to One, Outliers, and Shoe Dog (↑72) or How to Win Friends and $100M Offers (↑26). The one excerpt that actually argues for it is also the one that hedges hardest. An r/Entrepreneur commenter (↑140) calls it the single most transformative book they read when starting out, then immediately adds that it doesn't get mentioned much on the sub anymore and has drawn real criticism since publication. Nobody in this sample pushes back directly. Nobody else defends it either. What's here reads like a formative book people credit privately, in passing, rather than argue for in public.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A formative early read that people credit quietly rather than defend loudly
- · Its own fans acknowledging the post-publication criticism unprompted
- · Almost always a line item inside a longer business-book list, never its own thread
- · Fell out of frequent discussion even among people who once rated it highly
Common praise
- + One r/Entrepreneur commenter (↑140) calls it the single most transformative book they read when they were starting out, unprompted by anyone asking.
- + Gets grouped with well-regarded staples like Zero to One and Shoe Dog in a smallbusiness list thread (↑72), rather than filler titles.
- + Still gets typed out by name, with no summary attached, by someone confident it needs none (↑29).
Common criticism
- − That commenter also notes it doesn't get mentioned much on r/Entrepreneur anymore, a decline they flag themselves.
- − Every other displayed mention is a bare title dropped into a longer list, with no one making a standalone case for it.
Who it's for
Read this if you want the book people credit for their early thinking rather than the one they're still actively defending; the strongest endorsement here comes with its own asterisk attached. Building a reading list heavy on modern operator books like Zero to One or Shoe Dog? It sits comfortably in that company according to one smallbusiness list. If you're looking for a title that's currently generating fresh Reddit discussion, this isn't it: even its fan in this sample says it doesn't come up much anymore.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Good to Great?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“**Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss** The most important book on this list. It outlines and reinforces the fact that business, negotiation and any human interaction is inherently very emotional. It’s centered around negotiation but this book has so many solid management and leadership princip…
“Good to Great by Jim Collins was the single most transformative book I read when I was first starting out. It doesn't get mentioned a lot here, and it's since received a lot of criticism since getting published, but there are themes in the book that taught me a lot about leadership and management sp…
“Hey, \- Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer \- Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson \- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell \- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Some Don’t by Jim Collins \- Zero to One by Peter Thiel \- Shoe Dog by…
“I do not have any direct advise to give. I worked in my family business, F&B industry, when I was younger. I had some ideas but in the end I followed a different career path. In the end my parents retired and each closed / sold their own business. But one book that I found very interesting, and ma…
“'Good to Great', by Jim Collins.
“Don't rush starting a business. You are probably better keeping the money in the markets until you have a good idea and a great partner. Before you do anything with the money, I suggest reading some business books.the two I will suggest are E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and Good to Great by J…
“Good To Great - James Collins $100M offers - Alex Hormozi How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie More recently: 10x is easier than 2x (Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy)
“Here are the ones I aggregated from a couple of places - haven't read all though. Many of these have had really good feedback/upvotes/comments, and therefore I believe make a really good list. ​ **Tranche 1 - without a summary (However, well recommended):** 1. The Black Swan 2. Thinking…
“A common mistake we make as our business grows is to promote or hire people because it's easiest and we're busy. I've made this mistake twice, I won't make it a 3rd time. We need the right people in the right seats and as an owner or leader (It's not my company, I'm CEO) it's our responsibility to…
“I'd also recommend reading as much as possible. I've been reading the equivalent of a bo…
Convinced? Pick up Good to Great
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Good to Great — counted from the comments, not curated.
Good to Great — frequently asked
Is Good to Great still respected on Reddit despite its reputation?+
It's complicated. The most substantive displayed comment (↑140, r/Entrepreneur) calls it the single most transformative book the commenter read early on, while acknowledging in the same breath that it's drawn a lot of criticism since publication and doesn't come up much on the sub anymore. That's endorsement and hedge in one comment.
What criticism does Good to Great get on Reddit?+
The displayed data doesn't specify. One r/Entrepreneur commenter (↑140) states plainly that the book has received a lot of criticism since it was published, without detailing what that criticism is. No other displayed excerpt engages with the critique directly.
What books does Reddit recommend alongside Good to Great?+
In one r/smallbusiness list (↑72), it's grouped with Zero to One, Shoe Dog, Rework, and Outliers. In an r/Entrepreneur list (↑26), it sits next to $100M Offers and How to Win Friends and Influence People. It reads as a standard entry in general business-book roundups rather than a niche pick.