Kara Grant

Prof. Graham
Comparative Paper
January 24, 2015

The books Good to Great and Great by Choice have many concepts in
common, but they also have some differences between the two. Good to Great talks
about what it takes to be a level 5 leader, getting the right people on the bus,
confronting the brutal facts, the hedgehog concept, the level of discipline,
technology, flywheel and doom loop theory, and how companies are built to last.
Great by Choice is a continuation, so he discusses similar concepts. These include:
thriving when times are tough, 10x companies, a 20 mile march, fire bullets then
cannonballs, leading above the death line, SMaC, and luck. This book goes into a
little more depth, and talks about how good companies were able to go from good
to great. Throughout the paper, I will compare and contrast three concepts. The first
one is 10 x leadership vs. level 5 leadership. The second is the window/mirror theory
vs. the zoom in/zoom out theory. The third concept is crawl, walk, run vs. fire bullets
then cannonballs.
Good to Great talked about level 5 leadership. A level 5 executive, builds
enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and
professional will (Collins, 20). A level 5 leader acts in the best interest of the
company, and the use I more than they use we. Their ambition is first and foremost
for the institution, not themselves (Collins, 21). Level 5 leaders are leaders that are
able to leave the company, and the company will still have success. If they only
have success when they are there, this is not level 5 leadership because they did
not have long term success. A level 5 leader educates their employees to be able to

lead the company the same way as before. He/she sets them up for success, not
failure. Great by Choice talks about the 10x leadership. This is describing those
leaders that beat the market at least 10 times. This type of leadership is very
similar to that of the level 5 leader.
The level 5 leader was based on the ambition, and putting the business
before themselves. 10x leaders do but the company above themselves, but it is
about their core behaviors. These include: fanatic discipline, empirical creativity,
and productive paranoia. Fanatic discipline is about having self-discipline. They
started with values, purpose, long-term goals, and severe performance standards;
and they had the fanatic discipline to adhere to them They didnt let external
pressures, or even social norms, knock them off course (Collins, 23). This is similar
to level 5 leadership because they have the inner will and ambition to create a great
outcome. Empirical creativity is when the leaders base their evidence on experience
rather than their theories. Having an empirical foundation enables 10xers to make
bold, creative moves and bound their risk (Collins, 26). This is different from level 5
leadership because the leadership isnt just based on their ambition; their actions
also come into play. Next, is the productive paranoia. This is when they are able to
maintain caution in good times and bad. 10x leaders are always better prepared.
This is similar to level 5 leadership because they are acting in the best interest of
the company. They are preparing for the unpredictable, so they are able to keep the
company afloat if something terrible happens.
Overall, the level 5 leader and the 10x leader have very similar
characteristics. They both have the ambition and will to make the company the best
they can be. They also differ in the sense that the 10x leaders look more at the

actions of the leader, as opposed to the emotion. They look at evidence and
evaluate their business situation. 10x leaders prepare themselves for the worst, and
level 5 leaders have a blend of personal humility and professional will. In Great by
Choice, Collins mentioned that level 5 leaders usually come from within, and were
usually modest, reserved, and shy. This was never mentioned in the Great by
Choice book, which is also a difference. Overall, the concept is the same, but there
are some differences between the two.
The next concept I will discuss is the window/mirror theory vs. the zoom
in/zoom out theory. The window/mirror theory is in Good to Great. It is looking at
what went wrong and what went right. In this theory, you can look at what you are
doing wrong within your company. Level 5 leaders use this theory to look out the
window to give credit when things in the company go well. However, they also look
in the mirror when things go wrong. If they went wrong, they bring that upon
themselves to improve on later. However, the comparison leaders did not take the
same strategy. When they looked out the window and saw that something was
going wrong, they looked for someone to blame. Great companies look for some to
compliment when things go right, and they look to themselves to improve when
things go wrong.
In Great by Choice there is a very similar theory, and it is called zoom
in/zoom out. The term mirror/window theory is a lot like the zoom in/zoom out
theory, but there is one difference. The zoom in/ zoom out theory talks about
companies having hypervigilance. 10x leaders remain obsessively focused on their
objectives and hyper-vigilant about chances in their environment; they push for
perfect execution and adjust to changing conditions; they count the passes and see

the gorilla (Collins, 114). By zooming out, it senses a change in conditions. As

opposed to the window/mirror theory where they are looking at their past actions.
They arent looking ahead, so they are different in that sense. Also, you want to
assess the time frame. They need to know how much time elapses before their risk
profile changes. If they become more risky, they will have to change some of their
strategy. The window/mirror theory does not look back on this; they just look at
what their past decisions were. By zooming in, it focuses on the execution of plans
and different objectives of the company. By zooming in, they are able to look at
their strategy and see what is working. This is similar to window/mirror theory
because by looking through a mirror or window, they are able to see what has been
working in their favor. If there is something wrong, they are able to find this out by
zooming in. These concepts are very similar in the sense that you can get an overall
perspective. However, there is a difference because window/mirror theory is in the
past. The zoom in/zoom out theory can be in the present, and you need to portray
hypervigilance.
The final concept I will discuss is the differences and similarities between
crawl, walk, run and fire bullets then cannonballs. The crawl, walk, run theory was
discussed in the book Good to Great. In this theory, the companies thought about
what they were doing before they did it. In this, they pause and reflect. In the book,
Walgreens was used as an example. By crawling, they were wondering how the
internet would help with the convenience factor for their customers. They wanted to
know how to better increase their web sales experience, so they started off slow to
get more information. The next step is walking. This is a little faster pace than the
crawling factor. In this, Walgreens started to tie convenience and the web site into
connections. They used the information they got in the crawling stage, to make the

company better. The next step would be the running step. They started off getting
information about what the customers wanted, and it expanded from there. Once
they got information, they were able to keep expanding their web center, and make
a better product. Finally, once the experiment was complete, they were able to
launch their web center. They started off by crawling, then they went to walking,
and finally they went into a run. This is very similar to the concept of shooting
bullets then cannonballs.
By shooting bullets, you are seeing what works in the market. First, you fire
bullets to figure out whatll work. Then once you have empirical confidence based
on the bullets, you concentrate your resources and fire a cannonball. After the
cannonball hits, you keep 20 Mile Marching to make the most of your big success
(Collins, 80). You are putting different ideas out there until one works. Once a bullet
hits, the company is then able to expand on that idea and then make it better. The
company has multiple steps to the fire bullets then cannonballs approach. First, they
have to fire bullets. Next, they have to asses if the bullets hit anything. If they did,
they have to decide what successes they had, and they need to do research on this
bullet. Once they have this bullet researched, they are then able to fire a
cannonball. If the bullet fails, then you have to move on to the next bullet. Each
bullet needs to have empirical research on it. This is very similar to the crawl, walk,
and run because the bullet is like the crawl. They are experimenting to see if
something works. If it does, then they go into a run, and research it a little more.
Finally, if the research checks out, then the company will start running, or fire a
cannonball. These two ideas are very similar, but the one difference is the empirical
research. Fire bullets then cannonballs looks at empirical research, but crawl, walk,
run is all in the present.

Overall, the books are very similar. They have discussed the same concepts,
and have elaborated on many of them. They have very minimal differences, but
they are building upon each other. The level 5 leaders are usually the leaders of the
10x companies. The window/mirror theory looks at what has happened in the past,
and the zoom in/zoom out theory is looking at the present and what the company
can change. Finally, firing bullets then cannonballs looks at the empirical research.
They have the same thought in mind that is to test something out, and then expand
on it. Great by Choice was an expansion on Good to Great. They elaborated on the
concepts, and explained some new ones. The 10x companies usually have the same
characteristics, and they usually have about the same leaders.