1. Tendency 1: The Arrogance of (Great) Success

Nothing succeeds like success.9 In business, there is the adulation of analysts and the praise in the press. There is celebrity and spotlight. There is hero worship, as happened with Carlos Ghosn (he even became a superhero in a Japanese comic book) as he revived Nissan, or Steve Jobs and Howard Schultz as they came back to rejuvenate their sagging brands. Gordon Bethune at Continental, Lou Gerstner at IBM, Steve Kaufman at Arrow Electronics, Cheryl Bachelder at Popeye’s, and others have succeeded magnificently in reshaping sagging brands.

Success is everybody’s aim; no one aims to lose. However, for some, nothing fuels arrogance more than success. It may foster an environment of “I can do no wrong.” ...

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