A recent Cool Friends interview with author Bob Tomasko on Tom Peters blog centers around true growth companies. Tomasko has a theory that these companies are run by two kinds of people, fixers and growers. The first point he makes is that bigger isn't always better -- industries get caught up in the blockbuster syndrome, he says. He then covers the idea of shareholder value and how a myopic focus on that may not be such a good idea.
Tomasko urges us to think differently: getting bigger shouldn't be a goal, it may be an outcome. Growth is a forward movement, progress.
The interview is packed with good information, including the idea of positive growth. Last year we had a conversation on the positive psychology movement with psychologist Eric Kramer about his work with University of Pennsylvania Dr. Martin Seligman on authentic happiness research (notes here).
In Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne talk about those companies that created new markets and real growth for themselves. See the excellent article on Cirque du Soleil by Fast Company Linda Tishler.
Agent of Change Seth Godin often talks about companies that succeed because they changed the game. See his recent It's difficult to 'hard work' your way to success.
We've been hearing about these ideas for a number of years now. Why do companies keep benchmarking, copying, reacting and cutting their way to prosperity?
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