1. 15 Year period with cumulative stock returns at or below the general market
2. 15 Year period after a transition point in which the cumulative return on a firm's shares tripled the general market
3. Must demonstrate this Good to Great pattern independent of its industry

1. Circuit City reached a cumulative stock return 18.50 times the market
2. Fannie Mae reached a cumulative stock return 7.56 times the market
3. Gillette reached a cumulative stock return 7.34 times the market

Research included 10.5 years of people effort, 6,000 articles, and 2,000 pages of interview transcripts.

11 Companies met the Good to Great Criteria, the findings of their success can be summarized in a 8 part framework.

1. Level 5 Leadership
2. First Who...Then What
3. Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)
4. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles)
5. A Culture of Discipline
6. Technology Accelerators
7. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop
8. From Good to Great to Built to Last

This book is not about the old economy. Nor is it about the new economy. It is not even about the companies you're reading about, or even business per se. It is ultimately about one thing: the timeless principles of good to great.