Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

 “Indeed, if there is any one ‘secret’ to an enduring great company, it is the ability to manage continuity and change—a discipline that must be consciously practiced, even by the most visionary of companies.”

The introduction to the paperback edition serves as a comprehensive reaffirmation of the concepts and methodologies outlined in Built to Last. Notably, it articulates these principles with greater brevity than the rest of the text. Variations of this quote resonate throughout the work, underscoring two pivotal points. First, success in visionary companies is not shrouded in secrecy but woven into a nuanced tapestry of beliefs and mechanisms. Second, companies must adeptly navigate continual change while steadfastly preserving a core ideology.

“The only truly reliable source of stability is a strong inner core and the willingness to change and adapt everything except that core…it is better to understand who you are than where you are going—for where you are going will almost certainly change.”

A recurrent motif in the text is the eloquent assertion that nothing is deemed sacred within a company except the core ideology. In light of this, the authors emphasize that scrutinizing and elucidating the core ideology holds greater enduring value than strategic planning. While plans are inherently subject to change, the constancy of the core ideology stands unwavering, offering a more steadfast foundation for long-term success.

“Visionary companies make some of their best moves by experimentation, trial and error, opportunism, and—quite literally—accident. What looks in retrospect like brilliant foresight and preplanning was often the result of ‘Let’s just try a lot of stuff and keep what works.’”

Collins and Porras dismantle various business myths through their research, including the notion that visionary companies solely thrive on genius and meticulous strategic planning. While visionary companies engage in planning, the authors reveal that these plans do not always lead to the company’s most significant successes.