“Steven Blank, a keen observer of startup culture and methods, has written an article in the Harvard Business Review and an extended disco version on his blog, arguing that a focus on ‘execution’ is leading Apple down the wrong pat,” Dan Woods writes for Forbes. “Blank argues forcefully that visionary CEOs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates often make the tragic mistake of hiring a successors who are not visionaries. These execution-oriented executives focus on expanding the business they have, but miss the boat on new trends, leaving the companies as solid financial performers but seriously weakened.”
“In my view, Blank can be considered representative of Silicon Valley thinking,” Woods writes. “But, in thinking about Blank’s argument and reading comments on the article, it became clear to me there are many weak points in Blank’s thesis that deserve scrutiny and reveal some ways that the prevailing assumptions of Silicon Valley thinking are unbalanced.”
Woods writes, “Blank’s analysis would be more complete if he admitted finding a visionary is hard and risky.”
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Once again:
Those who underestimate Tim Cook are in for a rude awakening. – MacDailyNews, April 9, 2014