Today's Book Is How the Mighty Fall

Today's book is How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins. Professor Wobble: eleven fallen giants; decline as a staged disease, mostly self-inflicted. Bitsy: which stages? Hubris, wanting more, denying risk, grabbing saviours, giving up. They didn't get lazy; they overreached. Rubbermaid went for a product a day, then its first loss in decades in 1995; nearly a thousand products in three years, then sold off in 1998. Mort: he admits nobody comes back from stage five. For anyone winning now.

How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins, 2009, studies eleven great companies that fell and finds that decline is a staged, mostly self-inflicted disease with five stages, hubris, undisciplined pursuit of more, denial of risk, grasping for salvation and capitulation; the fallen companies overreached rather than got lazy, as Rubbermaid did when it aimed at a new product every day, choked on nearly a thousand in three years, reported its first loss in decades in 1995 and sold out in 1998; and nobody comes back from stage five.

On the book: How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins

Starring

PipProfessor WobbleBitsyMort