At CSA Search & Consulting, we believe great leadership starts with continuous learning. Each month, our team will highlight a book that has shaped how we think, lead, and serve our clients. From timeless leadership principles to modern insights, CSA Bookshelf is designed to share ideas that drive impact across collegiate athletics and higher education. To kick us off this month, we will hear from Chairman & Founder of CSA, Todd Turner.
Reviewer: Todd Turner, Chairman & Founder
Book: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Why I Chose This Book
In my work with leaders across collegiate athletics and higher education, I’ve consistently seen a gap between organizations that are “good” and those that truly sustain excellence. Good to Great resonated with me because it challenges the assumption that success is about bold, sweeping change. Instead, Collins shows that greatness is built through disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action—principles that directly align with how we approach leadership and search at CSA.
Exploring the Ideas: What Separates Good from Great
Collins and his research team studied companies that made the leap to sustained excellence and identified several key concepts that every leader should understand:
- Level 5 Leadership:
The most effective leaders combine deep personal humility with intense professional will. They are ambitious for the institution, not for themselves. In athletics, this shows up in leaders who prioritize long-term program health over short-term wins or personal recognition. - First Who, Then What:
Before setting strategy, great organizations focus on getting the right people in the right seats. The best leaders don’t just fill roles—they build teams of disciplined, self-motivated individuals who elevate everyone around them. - Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith):
Great organizations face reality head-on. Whether it’s declining revenues, competitive challenges, or cultural issues, they create environments where truth is heard and acted upon—while maintaining confidence in their ability to prevail. - The Hedgehog Concept:
Excellence comes from focusing on the intersection of three things: what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine. Clarity here simplifies decision-making and strategy. - The Flywheel Effect:
There is no single defining moment. Instead, success builds over time through consistent, aligned effort. Each decision and action compounds, creating momentum that eventually leads to breakthrough results.
Good to Great in Practice: A Hypothetical Case Study
Consider a university athletic department striving to elevate its national profile. Leadership has cycled through multiple strategic plans, coaching changes, and branding initiatives, yet results remain inconsistent.
The Good to Great Approach:
Rather than launching another sweeping overhaul, the Athletic Director focuses first on people—ensuring every head coach and senior staff member aligns with the department’s values and long-term vision. Next, the leadership team conducts an honest assessment of performance, identifying where they truly excel and where they fall short.
They define their “Hedgehog Concept”: becoming a national leader in student-athlete development and competitive success within their conference, while building a sustainable revenue model through targeted donor engagement.
Instead of chasing every opportunity, they commit to a few key priorities and execute them consistently over time. As alignment grows, culture strengthens, and results begin to compound, the department gains momentum—not from one big move, but from many disciplined ones.
Why You Should Read It
If you’re leading a team, managing complexity, or striving for sustained success, Good to Great offers a practical and research-backed framework. It reinforces that greatness isn’t about dramatic transformation—it’s about clarity, discipline, and consistency over time.
A Note on the Monograph
Collins later expanded on these ideas in his Good to Great and the Social Sectors monograph, which is particularly relevant for leaders in higher education and athletics. Unlike the corporate world, success in non-profits isn’t measured solely by profit, but by mission impact. The monograph reframes concepts like the Hedgehog Concept and the economic engine to fit mission-driven organizations—making it a valuable companion for Athletic Directors operating within the unique dynamics of higher education.
Todd’s Take: “Greatness isn’t built on big moments—it’s built on the right people making disciplined decisions, day after day.”