■ The Big Idea
Built to Last is about enduringly, great organizations known as visionary companies that have prospered over long periods of time through multiple product life cycles and several generations of leadership. The authors present the results of six years of intensive, qualitative research on what makes winning companies exceptional and different including their practices and habits. The seven timeless principles of visionary companies include: Be clock-builders, not time-tellers; embrace the “and”, reject the “or”; more than profits; walk the talk; preserve the core ideology while stimulating progress; never-ending process; and build the vision.

■ About the Authors
Jim Collins is a student of enduring great companies ? how they grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies. Having invested more than a decade of research into the topic, Jim has authored or coauthored four books, including the classic Built to Last, a fixture on the Business Week bestseller list for more than six years, and the New York Times bestseller, GOOD TO GREAT: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Dont. His work has been featured in Fortune, The Economist, Fast Company, USA Today, Industry Week, Business Week, Newsweek, Inc., and Harvard Business Review. Visit Jim’s website at http://www.jimcollins.com

Jerry Porras is a brilliant speaker and talented teacher. The co-author of Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, one of Forbes 20 most influential business books, he is also the Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Emeritus, at Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business. With lecturer David Bradford, some 30 years ago he developed the highly successful MBA class Interpersonal Dynamics, designed to lead students through the process of understanding personal style and improving the way they relate to others. Visit his website at: http://www.jerryporras.com