Jerry Bellune October 10, 2013
October 9, 2013
October 10, 2013
Forsake the status quo
Last week we talked about Howard Schultz.
Schultz is Starbucks’ CEO and chief evangelist.
When he semi-retired, Starbucks went in the tank.
Schultz came back and now Starbucks is thriving.
It has more than 19,000 stores worldwide.
He plans thousands more in Asia and Latin America.
He says embracing the status quo will kill you.
He’s right. We’ve seen it happen to:
• Wall Street firms too big to fail.
• American auto markers in need of bailouts.
• Once great retailers like Kmart and JC Penney.
Goliath companies are not exempt from failure.
It can happen to any of us who refuse to change.
One of the best definitions of insanity:
Do the same things but expect better results.
Malcolm Gladwell explores this in his new book.
“David and Goliath” is about success and failure.
“Goliath” enterprises harbor hidden weaknesses.
Won’t what made them great keep them great?
No. Consider Blockbuster and Kodak.
Netflix and digital photos destroyed them.
Sticking with what has worked is far from irrational.
It may be the perfect strategy right up until . . . it isn’t.
We started our company in the 1992 recession.
Some thought we were mad to take such a chance.
We faced two billion-dollar competitors.
Now one of them has deserted the market.
He sold his company to us for pennies on the dollar.
The other is facing tremendous financial difficulty.
We had to magic formula or Daddy Warbucks.
We did it with sweat and our own money.
We were willing to try new things and test results.
We were willing to change and change quickly.
Doing what you’ve always done is costly.
Want an autographed copy of my leadership book?
“Lead People, Manage Things” is only $20.
That’s a tax-deductible donation to charity.
The money goes to our literacy tutoring program.
Turning Pages tutors illiterate adults.
It;s a life-changing experience for them.
Email me at [email protected]
I’ll be happy to mail you a copy.
©2013 The Bellune Company, Inc.
Next: How stupid can we get?
Jerry Bellune teaches business owners and entrepreneurs the strategies that have made his family’s publishing businesses successful. Contact him at [email protected]
