The 2011 Business Book of the Year Award goes to...

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen, published by HarperBusiness Chaos and uncertainty are all around us. The economy is struggling, some have been out of work for years, and entrepreneurs are having a more and more difficult time creating success. Yet despite those things, there are organizations that are extremely successful. Looking at them on the surface, surmising their marketing techniques, management practice, and general strategy does not reveal enough to truly understand the "hows" and "whys" of their success. Fortunately, ten years after his classic Good to Great, Jim Collins has teamed with Morten Hansen to explain it all. They have spent the last decade digging deep into what makes these companies great, and figuring out how other managers and leaders can make similar choices for their own organizations. Their research is revealed in their new book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. It is a book perfectly suited to our times, containing the extensive research and free-thinking Collins is known for, while also being able to impart confidence in the knowledge that, despite the chaos and uncertainty, it is still your choices and not chance that control your fate. The principles, insights and lessons are presented through a variety of captivating case studies and comparison stories, from deadly vs. successful mountain climbing expeditions to post-9/11 Southwest Airlines. Survival is a strong theme throughout the book, and some of the details about the practices of the survivors, what the authors call the 20 mile marchers, will surprise you. Where will your company be in 5 years? 10 years? Will it be at all? These might be hard questions to ask, but can be more easily answered once you have an understanding of the principles in this book. Congratulations to Jim Collins and Morten Hansen on their tremendous achievement in writing this book! And congratulations again to all the shortlist and category winners in this year's Business Book Awards!