After finishing Jim Collins’ excellent book, Good to Great, I wanted to consider how we could put its principles into practice in our company. After all, what’s the purpose of reading a book if you’re just going to finish it and move onto the next one?

Here are 29 questions you can ask of your organization to begin your transition from a good company to a great one:

1. In what ways can we set our mindset on greatness?

2. In what areas are we less than great?

3. What would need to change for us to be great?

4. How can we be great right now, even in areas where we don’t feel great?

Greatness is a matter of conscious choice.

Good is the enemy of great, according to Collins and his team of researchers. The key finding of the book is this: Greatness is a matter of conscious choice. It’s actually no harder to be great than to be good. You don’t have to work harder, or longer hours. You can choose to be either good OR great.

How can we keep our leaders’ egos in check?

How can we make sure our leaders are ambitious and driven to make the organization great?

One thing that great companies have in common is that they have Level 5 leaders. Level 5 leaders are driven to make the organization great, and they don’t have big egos.

What types of people do we need on the team?

Where do we find them?

How can we instill greatness in our employees?

“First Who…Then What” is the motto of great organizations. In other words, it’s important to have the right players on the team before deciding what the company is all about.

What are our “brutal facts”?

What should we be watching out for?

What should we be talking about, but aren’t?

In what ways do we avoid difficult conversations?

In what areas of our business do we need better understanding?

People have a tendency not to talk about the most important (and often uncomfortable) issues. Great companies confront the brutal facts and then act on them.

Great companies confront the brutal facts and then act on them.

What are we deeply passionate about? Generally and specifically?

What drives our economic engine?

How can we maximize profits in a way that best serves our customers or clients?

What can we be the best in the world at?

Great companies abide by the hedgehog concept. A hedgehog is great at one thing: protecting itself from danger. Great companies look for the one thing they can be best in the world at. Combine that with what you are deeply passionate about and what drives your economic engine and you have your hedgehog concept.

How can we be more disciplined?

What processes and systems can we put in place?

What are we doing inefficiently?

What should we stop doing altogether?

Great companies create a culture of discipline. They strictly adhere to what they do best, and they stop doing anything that doesn’t fall into that category.

Great companies create a culture of discipline.

What technology can we use or build to accelerate our success?

How can we be more proactive?

How can we be less reactive?

Great companies use technology to accelerate their success. Rather than looking to technology as their savior, they first build a great company and then build innovative technologies to allow them to grow and stay great.

How can we consistently push the flywheel forward?

What things should we be doing every day/week/month/year?

A flywheel takes a lot of effort to move. Little by little, as you keep pushing it, it starts to gain more and more momentum. All great companies consistently push the flywheel forward, day after day, year after year. Rather than running in 10 different directions, they pick a direction and they consistently do what it takes to move forward.

All great companies consistently push the flywheel forward, day after day, year after year.

What work makes us feel compelled to try to create greatness?

Great companies don’t have to try to motivate their workers. They figure out what it is that makes people compelled to create greatness and then their employees will be intrinsically motivated.

Which activities are vital, and which are not?

Good companies chase after opportunities where they can make money. Great companies stick with what they’re great at and cut out everything else.