Effective Management: 20 Keys to a Winning Culture

Chapter 15   Know Your Achilles’ Heel

The ancient fable of Achilles usefully illustrates on a micro level the nature of all the challenges that have to do with the product or service weaknesses every business experiences. The mythical Greek warrior Achilles was invincible in battle, or so it seemed. He built a reputation that filled opponents with fear and trepidation, and then came the seemingly impossible; he was injured on his vulnerable heel and he was vanquished.

This story comes with an explanation for the hero’s ultimate demise; as a newborn baby, Achilles’ mother dunked him in “holy fire” to make him invincible. The problem is that the ...