This week’s focus: Nothing fails like success. Many successful companies struggle and fail not because they’re bad at what they do, but because they’re great at what they do. The trouble is that they stick to what they know, refuse to evolve and simply get overtaken by events. Kodak, Olivetti, HMV, Woolworths are all businesses that were unable or unwilling to change as fast as their outside world. Don’t wait until success starts to wane before reinventing your business, because by then it’s often too late. Instead you must constantly look at your business with fresh eyes, raise the bar on performance and evolve and change your business while you’re still succeeding.
Off the record: It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding by Bob Dylan (who celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this week)
He not busy being born, is busy dying
© Stuart Cross 2011. All rights reserved.