James C. Collins
American business consultant and writer
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ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursEarly life and education
Collins received a BS in Mathematical Sciences at Stanford University, graduating in 1980.
Collins was granted honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
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Career
Following graduation, Collins spent 18 months in McKinsey & Co.'s San Francisco office. He was exposed to what may have been an influential project for him – two partners at McKinsey, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, were running a McKinsey research project that later became the best-seller In Search of Excellence.
After his time at McKinsey, he returned to study at Stanford, graduating with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1983. He then worked as a product manager for Hewlett-Packard for 18 months.
Collins began his research and teaching career on the faculty of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business in 1988. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award.
He published his first book, Beyond Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company co-authored with William C. Lazier, in 1992.
He published his first best-seller Built To Last, co-authored with Jerry Porras, in 1994.
In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and teaches executives from the corporate and social sectors. During that time, Collins has served as a senior executive at CNN International, and also worked with social sector organizations, such as: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Leadership Network of Churches, the American Association of K-12 School Superintendents, and the United States Marine Corps.
Personal life
Collins is married to former triathlete and 1985 Ironman World Championship winner, Joanne Ernst.