The Brains and Brawn Company: How Leading Organizations Blend the Best of Digital and Physical

CHAPTER 12

STAMINA: SURVIVING FOR THE LONG RUN

One of the things I have become a student of is how institutions outlast the generations who created them. How they live up to the ideals that first made them successful but also question the status quo.

—Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Longevity is the ultimate challenge for any business. Countless start-ups fly high for a few years on the strength of a breakthrough innovation, only to crash when competitors catch up or their industry takes an unexpected turn. Despite the start-up world’s faith in “failing fast” and then pivoting to new business models, that kind of strategic nimbleness is much more easily said than done.

But some companies do figure out how to adapt and evolve, decade after decade. ...