Act like a business? Why aim so low?

The Artful Manager: "In his recent monograph, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins makes a rather bold statement: 'We must reject the idea -- well-intentioned, but dead wrong -- that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become 'more like a business.'' His point is that most businesses are poorly run, and that many business practices correlate with mediocrity, not greatness. So, to him, telling nonprofit organizations to 'run like a business' is like telling artists to lower their standards, or telling a visionary leader to 'aim low.'"