Lessons from Jim Collins to Impact Your School

I recently had the opportunity to hear Jim Collins speak at the Entreleadership conference. Having long been a fan of his work, I was intrigued to see what new research he was conducting into key areas of business growth. What happened instead was entirely transformative.

Collins, speaking to a group of entrepreneurs, leaned on his redesigned “Beyond Entrepreneurship” work to take the summation of his decades worth of work on what makes healthy, long-lasting businesses work and condensed everything he has written and researched over his entire illustrious career into a 2 hour talk.

It was incredible, and showed the interconnection of every tool, framework, and concept that he has presented over the years in Beyond Entrepreneurship, Built to Last, Good to Great, Great by Choice, and How the Mighty Fall.

What made it so incredible was that it showed the progression of his work in four stages: Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought, Disciplined Action, and Building to Last.

It also made me want to re-read everything Collins has written in order to truly understand the depth of his work–so I did. And while all of his tools and frameworks have great applicability to private K-12 schools around the nation, there is one concept in particular that needs immediate application.

As Collins explores what it takes to “build a company that lasts” he lands on the duality of “preserving the core” while simultaneously “stimulating progress.”

Great schools know how to live in the tension between stability (preserving the core) and change (stimulating progress). They safeguard the mission, values, and non-negotiables that define their school, ensuring that culture and purpose remain steady no matter how the educational landscape shifts (and the landscape is shifting!). At the same time, they create space for innovation, new ideas, and bold progress—always anchored to their core.

So how do you apply that to your school or classroom? It starts with intentional reflection. Are we clear on what defines us—our mission, our values, the non-negotiables that shape our culture? And just as importantly, where are we giving ourselves permission to experiment, improve, and evolve?

In other words, are we revisiting our school’s mission not just during accreditation, but in daily decisions and conversations? Are we protecting traditions and practices that reinforce identity—but also being willing to ask, “Is there a better way (seeking “kaizen” or continuous improvement)?” Are we empowering teachers to prototype new classroom strategies, all while keeping student growth and character formation at the center?

Healthy, lasting schools—like great businesses—live in the tension between honoring their foundation and pushing their boundaries. The schools that thrive are clear on their “why,” but bold enough to reimagine their “how.” And that’s how we build schools that truly last and create student impact.

Let’s go! Connect with me today to get started applying this and other important frameworks from Jim Collins

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