Inc editor, Bo Burlingame (author of Small Giants, a great read about companies that choose to be great vs big), interviews Jim Collins (author of Good to Great, Built to Last, etc.) in this month’s edition:
How to Thrive in 2009. It’s a long article, but well worth the read. Here are some of my favorite bits:
Asked about whether he is pessimistic about the future:
JC – No, it is only in times like these that you get a chance to show your strength. In the end, I think we need to have absolute faith in our ability to deal with whatever is thrown at us. And we need to have a complete, realistic paranoia that a lot can be thrown at us. It’s our ability to put those two contradictory ideas together: We need to be prepared for what we can’t predict and, at the same time, have this total, unwavering faith that we will find a way to deal with all of it. And I believe we will. I don’t believe the world will treat us well, but we will figure out how to do very well.
On why some entrepreneurs are so successful:
JC – …think about the leading entrepreneurs of the past three decades: Steve Jobs, Ken Iverson, Herb Kelleher, Anita Roddick, Yvon Chouinard, Howard Schultz, Jeff Bezos. What jumps out at you as being consistent across all those people?
BB – The larger purpose of what they were doing.
JC – Right. They defined success on a very big scale. For Steve Jobs, it was about much more than selling computers. For Yvon Chouinard, more than clothing. For Anita Roddick, more than cosmetics. For Howard Schultz, more than coffee. For Jeff Bezos, more than online retailing.
When asked if the basic principles of building a successful business have changed….
JC – I would say that the basic principles have largely not changed, but the skills are always changing. For example, nothing would suggest that the importance of the who has changed. If anything, our turbulence research reinforces the idea that the most important decisions are always who decisions. Whether you’re running a business in 1812, 1886, 1925, 1950, 1975, 2000, 2050, I see nothing to contradict the principle that who comes first and what comes second, for a very simple reason: If you cannot predict the what, you have to be able to do a good job with the who, because the what is going to be constantly shifting.
BB – What exactly do you mean by doing a good job with the who?
JC – Do you have a culture of people who A. share a set of values, B. have very clear responsibilities, and C. perform? Those who build a culture around those ideas are building upon something that is largely unchangeable.
He goes on to say that now more than ever, it’s critical that individuals (and teams – AT) need to be continually learning and making clear choices about what you are and are not going to do.
Anything here resonate with your business? I’d love your thoughts and comments. Thanks, Amelia