Great by Choice

Great by Choice by Jim Collins explores why some companies thrive in uncertainty and chaos while others fail, even when facing the same conditions. Through rigorous research, Collins and co-author Morten T. Hansen identify key traits of “10X companies” that outperform their peers by at least tenfold. These standout firms succeed not because of luck or bold risks, but through discipline, empirical decision-making, and creative innovation. Collins introduces concepts like the “20 Mile March,” “productive paranoia,” and “return on luck” to illustrate how great leaders combine consistency with adaptability. The book ultimately argues that greatness is not a product of circumstance, but of deliberate choices made with discipline and purpose.

James “Jim” Collins was born in Aurora, Colorado in 1958. He is an author, speaker, researcher, and business consultant. He travels the country speaking about business management, growth, and sustainability. Since 1995, he has been running his own management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he teaches corporate leaders better ways to run their businesses and conducts his own research into the topic. 

Morten T. Hansen is a Norwegian-American author, professor, motivational speaker, and management theorist. He has degrees from the University of Oslo, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, the London School of Economics, and Stanford University, where he was also a Fulbright Scholar and received an award for his academic performance. He is now a tenured professor at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a member of the faculty at Apple University.