Good to Great & Autobiography of a Yogi
Two very different books
Good to Great (GtG) by Jim Collins lays out the result of a study set out to find the universal distinguishing characteristics of companies that went from good to great performance — and sustained it for over fifteen years.
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda is the life account of the yogi who introduced Kriya Yoga to the western world.
What do these books have in common? Not much. But let's do a combo review anyway.
One surprising overlap
A recurring theme in Yogananda's life is that the right people seem to materialize out of thin air whenever he needs them. That definitely did not happen for the "good to great" companies. On the contrary — a key ingredient in their success was finding the right people for the job. Collins calls it "first who, then what." And: "when in doubt, don't hire."
And this is exactly the problem with both books. GtG states the obvious, and Yogananda's book is so out there that I have to check from time to time that I'm not reading Harry Potter.
📝 Notes from both books
- The "Level 5" leaders in Good to Great have a lot in common with Yogananda's guru — humble, with a stoic resolve and a subdued ego.
- "Put your best people on the biggest opportunities, not your biggest problems."
- "Continual intellectual study results in vanity and the false satisfaction of an undigested knowledge." — Yogananda's guru on the futility of mere book learning.
- Autobiography of a Yogi's Goodreads reviews are some of the most polarizing I've ever seen.
⚖️ Verdict
Neither of these is bad, exactly. Good to Great is a competent piece of business research that mostly tells you what you already suspected. Autobiography of a Yogi is sincere and historically interesting, but the supernatural element will either pull you in or push you straight out.
Together they made me realize something more useful than either book on its own.
⭐ Takeaway
I need to stop being a completionist when it comes to books. There are better ways to spend reading time. It's okay to throw lesser books aside in favor of better ones. Jump from good to great, so to speak. 😎