Good to Great and Built to Last identified the distinguishing characteristics shared by companies that not only achieved greatness, but also sustained it.

In How The Mighty Fall, Jim Collins considers the "dark side," offering a perspective on how a fall from greatness can happen - to even the seemingly invincible. Adapting the very methodology that established Good to Great as a landmark, How the Mighty Fall shows that every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline, but recovery is possible.

In How The Mighty Fall you learn about the five stages of decline for once-great organizations. Working backward from his evidence, Dr. Collins then gives us "markers" to look for in our own organizations that would tip us off to the stages of decline. In some cases, companies emerge stronger - even after having crashed into the depths of a near-catastrophic fall.