Last November, I was attending the Ensign fourth quarter board meeting and we took a break. I checked my messages and had a voicemail from Jim Collins. The “Good to Great,” Jim Collins. That Jim Collins! I thought I was being pranked. Our three kids know the impact he’s had on me and the way I feel about him. Maybe one of them had created an AI-generated gag.

It wasn’t a prank. Somehow, Collins remembered me from the two times we had hosted him as the keynote speaker at the annual AHCA meetings. We’d had occasional interactions since those meetings, but I never dreamed he remembered me. But I could tell from specific things he said in the voicemail that it really was him.

His message was that he had a new book coming out and he wanted me to read it and give him my thoughts. I was blown away. For me this is like our granddaughter getting a call from Taylor Swift.

I desperately wanted to go into the board meeting and say, “you can’t believe who called me!” But Ensign is all about humility and I just couldn’t do it. So, instead, I’m going to be completely unhumble and tell the tens of thousands of you who get this email.

Jim Collins Called Me!

Okay, onto the book. Most of you know that Jim Collins has had a profound impact on our sector. Some of the very best companies in the space are what I call, “Good to Great” organizations. Their philosophies are based on, and guided by, the book. Two of the very best, Trilogy and Ensign, are “Good to Great” companies. Many others, including PACs and Cascadia, have been deeply influenced by the work.

The new book is “What to Make of a Life” and will be available in early to mid-April. It has the potential to be as impactful as “Good to Great.” Obviously, that is saying a lot.

“What to Make of a Life” explores the way that various figures in world history have handled dramatic changes in their lives. Whether they have encountered major health problems, huge scandals, retirement, or massive upheaval in their professions, the work catalogues how they have either prospered or failed in response.

Matching History to the Present

Collins does this by pairing historical figures who have faced the same life changes. He explains that often when people face fundamental change, they are in a fog, and to use a photography analogy, they are out of frame. How effectively these people get out of the fog and back into frame has dictated whether they continue to contribute and succeed.

As a pre-reader, I’m prohibited from telling you who the people profiled in the book are. Most of them you will recognize. The now printed jacket of the book explains:

“His exploration compares various lives side by side, paired together at cliffs, and analyses the different choices made and divergent paths taken.

• Two rock musicians confronting a future without the group that had brought them success.

• Two suffragists achieving their epic goal and then left with the puzzle of what to do next.

• Two public figures tainted by scandal having to make decisions about how to rebuild their lives.

• Two figure skaters seeking new purpose when their Olympic careers come to an end.”

This book is going to have an enormous impact on a variety of people. Examples include:

• People entering retirement.

• People facing a major health challenge.

• People facing divorce or other major personal changes.

• Businesses encountering change, and/or massive success or massive failure.

Collins’s words clarify how to approach major challenges. Never giving up. Working hard to have a sense of purpose. Working through the fog and getting back in frame. It is inspiring. He shows us how historical figures have navigated challenges and provides a template for us to succeed as well.

“What to Make of a Life” will continue the enormous impact that Jim Collins has had on our sector. And that’s good to great.

Look for more exciting news on Park Place Live about Jim Collins and his book in the coming weeks. Our purpose is to help you succeed!