Jim Collins has published multiple international bestsellers that have sold in total more than eleven million copies worldwide, including the perennial favorite Good to Great. His writings and teachings are based on extensive research projects designed to uncover timeless principles of human endeavor that have had a lasting impact across all sectors of society. All of Jim’s books share a common thread: the study of people and how they navigate the big questions of leadership and life.
His new book is What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative.
Jim will be live at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on April 9, 2026. Click here to buy your ticket.
Please enjoy!
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Additional podcast platforms
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Transcripts
- This episode (coming soon)
- All episodes
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Jim Collins:
Jim’s Previous Appearances
- Jim Collins on The Value of Small Gestures, Unseen Sources of Power, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #483
- Jim Collins — A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath | The Tim Ferriss Show #361
Events
Books
- What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
- Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
- How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins
- Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society by John W. Gardner
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Jazz by Toni Morrison
- The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence by Josh Waitzkin
- The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss
Relevant Resources
- “Personal Renewal” Speech by John W. Gardner | John Gardner: Uncommon American, PBS
- 55 Years Ago: Led Zeppelin Plays Together for the First Time | UCR
People
- William Blake
- Richard Branson
- Warren Buffett
- Cardiss Collins
- Jimmy Collins
- Gordon Cooper
- Walt Disney
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Eminem
- Joanne Ernst
- Bobby Fischer
- Benjamin Franklin
- Marcelo Garcia
- John W. Gardner
- John Glenn
- Seth Godin
- Katharine Graham
- Irv Grousbeck
- Morten Hansen
- Grace Hopper
- Bo Jackson
- Steve Jobs
- Michael Jordan
- John F. Kennedy
- Alison Krauss
- Bill Lazier
- John Lennon
- David Letterman
- Howie Long
- Yo-Yo Ma
- Abraham Maslow
- Paul McCartney
- Barbara McClintock
- Toni Morrison
- Tim O’Reilly
- Alan Page
- Jimmy Page
- Alice Paul
- Robert Plant
- Jerry Porras
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
- Roger Sherman
- Kelly Starrett
- Juliet Starrett
- Henry David Thoreau
- Josh Waitzkin
- Sam Walton
- Tiger Woods
Films, TV, & Music
- Searching for Bobby Fischer
- “Lose Yourself” by Eminem
- “Train Kept A-Rollin’” by Led Zeppelin
- “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin
- “Black Dog” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
- Grace Hopper on The Late Show with David Letterman
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