{"id":49367,"date":"2021-09-17T00:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T04:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=49367"},"modified":"2021-09-23T13:31:56","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T17:31:56","slug":"built-to-last-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/built-to-last-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The 12 Business Myths From the Book Built to Last"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What are the 12 business myths presented in the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book? What&#8217;s the truth about visionary companies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bestselling author Jim Collins and Stanford professor Jerry I. Porras conducted a six-year research project to find the keys to visionary companies\u2019 longevity and tremendous success. Their book <em>Built to Last<\/em> identifies 12 business myths and shares practical advice for those who want to build a company that lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to learn the 12 business myths presented in the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12 Business Myths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many enterprises come and go, but visionary companies endure for generations. These companies are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gold-standard-vs-fiat-currency\/\">gold standard<\/a> in their respective industries, remaining prosperous throughout many decades and at the hands of many different leaders. Beyond attaining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/achieving-financial-success\/\">financial success<\/a>, they\u2019ve also become household names\u2014it\u2019s hard to imagine a world without them or their products, from Band-Aids to Post-it Notes to Mickey Mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After an exhaustive survey, the authors came up with a list of visionary companies with long life spans and unparalleled success. The authors then identified a comparison company for each visionary company\u2014one that was founded at around the same time, that had the same founding products and markets, and that were also highly successful, but not to the degree that the visionary companies were. The 18 visionary companies (and their comparison companies in parentheses) featured in the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>3M (Norton) <em>&#8211; consumer products<\/em><\/li><li>American Express (Wells Fargo) <em>&#8211; financial and travel services<\/em><\/li><li>Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) <em>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/aviation-safety\/\">aviation<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Citicorp (Chase Manhattan) <em>&#8211; banking<\/em><\/li><li>Ford (GM) <em>&#8211; automotive<\/em><\/li><li>General Electric (Westinghouse) <em>&#8211; conglomerate (power, energy, aviation, health care)<\/em><\/li><li>Hewlett-Packard (Texas Instruments) <em>&#8211; technology<\/em><\/li><li>IBM (Burroughs) <em>&#8211; technology<\/em><\/li><li>Johnson &amp; Johnson (Bristol-Myers Squibb) &#8211; <em>pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer health care<\/em><\/li><li>Marriott (Howard Johnson) <em>&#8211; hospitality<\/em><\/li><li>Merck (Pfizer) &#8211; <em>chemicals, pharmaceuticals<\/em><\/li><li>Motorola (Zenith) &#8211; <em>telecommunications<\/em><\/li><li>Nordstrom (Melville) &#8211;<em> retail<\/em><\/li><li>Philip Morris (RJR Nabisco) &#8211; <em>tobacco<\/em><\/li><li>Procter &amp; Gamble (Colgate) &#8211; <em>consumer goods<\/em><\/li><li>Sony (Kenwood) &#8211; <em>conglomerate (electronics, gaming consoles, media)<\/em><\/li><li>Walmart (Ames) &#8211;<em> retail and wholesale&nbsp;<\/em><\/li><li>Walt Disney (Columbia) <em>&#8211; entertainment<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the research team had their list, they closely examined the companies\u2019 history and evolution, conducted a comparative analysis to find principles and patterns of success, and came up with key concepts that may be useful to those building companies in the present day. These <em>Built to Last <\/em>book concepts debunk 12 business myths about what it takes to build a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/visionary-company\/\">visionary company<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 1: A Great Company Starts From a Great Idea&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Business schools espouse that you need a great idea backed by a solid marketing plan before starting a company, but visionary companies show that this simply isn\u2019t true. <\/strong>Out of the 18 visionary companies, only three had a specific product or service in mind when they began: Johnson &amp; Johnson, General Electric, and Ford. All the others tried one thing after another, stumbling before finding their footing and eventually becoming a great success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Hewlett-Packard (HP) began in 1937 <em>without<\/em> a product. Bill Hewlett and David Packard used their engineering backgrounds to create various contraptions, from bowling lanes to telescopes to urinals, many of which didn\u2019t produce great results. They didn\u2019t let their failures dissuade them\u2014they kept creating and experimenting until they acquired profitable war contracts in the 1940s.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A great idea shouldn\u2019t be the be-all and end-all of a company. Every product, no matter how innovative, will eventually become obsolete. If you pin organizational success to that one great idea, then you won\u2019t have what it takes to find lasting success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This means that when building a visionary company, the product isn\u2019t the point\u2014the company is. <\/strong>You can only build an enduring company if you never give up, even if your products keep failing. Instead of focusing all your attention on designing a great product, shift your focus to designing a great organization.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 2: Behind Every Visionary Company Is a Larger-Than-Life Leader<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A high-profile leader who fits the mold of the superstar CEO isn\u2019t necessary to build a visionary company\u2014but good leadership is. <\/strong>A company won\u2019t last long with one mediocre head after another.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though their personalities vary from larger-than-life and charismatic to quiet and unassuming, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/a-visionary-leader\/\">visionary leaders<\/a> are driven by a common purpose: <strong>They recognize that their job is to build something that will endure even after they\u2019re gone. <\/strong>They know that, just as one great idea and one great product can become obsolete, so too can a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/characteristics-of-a-good-leader\/\">great leader<\/a>. Rather than being driven by making one product successful or building their own personal brand, they focus on building an organization that lasts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What These Two Myths Tell Us<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>These first two debunked business myths\u2014that one great idea and a charismatic leader are required to build a great company\u2014reveal a distinguishing characteristic of visionary companies: <strong>They are clock builders, not time tellers:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Time tellers<\/strong> have the amazing ability to tell the exact time by looking up at the sky.<\/li><li><strong>Clock builders<\/strong> make a clock that can tell everyone the time, even after they\u2019re gone.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you shift your focus from time telling to clock building, you\u2019ll be better able to understand that putting systems in place that create repeated, enduring success is one of the key concepts behind building a company that lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 3: You Can\u2019t Have It All<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies don\u2019t allow themselves to be ruled by <em>or<\/em>\u2014the view that you <em>must<\/em> choose between seemingly contradictory choices A or B (for example, change <em>or <\/em>stability, low cost <em>or<\/em> high quality, investment in the long-term <em>or<\/em> success in the short-term). Instead, they debunk the business myth that you can\u2019t have it all by believing in<em> and<\/em>\u2014they figure out a way to have both A <em>and<\/em> B. It\u2019s like the Chinese yin-yang symbol, where black and white don\u2019t blend into gray but come together in perfect harmony.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 4: Visionary Companies Are Profit-Driven<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies put the power of the <em>and<\/em> into practice when it comes to profit. They are both pragmatic (bringing in profit) <em>and<\/em> idealistic (driven by something more than profit), and they do this by remaining true to their core philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For visionary companies, profitability is an objective, but not the primary objective\u2014that is, without profit, visionary companies can\u2019t exist, but it\u2019s not <em>why<\/em> they exist. <strong>This paradox of pursuing both profit <\/strong><strong><em>and <\/em><\/strong><strong>broader aims is made possible by the company\u2019s <\/strong><strong><em>core philosophy<\/em><\/strong>: a set of guiding principles that remain steadfast through generations of changing leadership and processes. They\u2019re an integral part of building a clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not always an easy road, and visionary companies don\u2019t have a perfect record of adhering to their values. But compared to their competitors, they have put in much more effort to articulate and adhere to their core philosophies, through good times and bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 5: There Is Only One \u201cRight\u201d Way to Do Things<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core philosophies aren\u2019t universal. <\/strong>While some visionary companies share common guiding principles (for example, customer service or product innovation), there isn\u2019t one set of principles that\u2019s common across all visionary companies. <strong>What matters isn\u2019t what a core philosophy says; what matters is how strongly and consistently the organization adheres to it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A core philosophy is made up of two elements:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/clarifying-your-values\/\">Core values<\/a>: a set of guiding principles that you stick to no matter what<\/li><li>Purpose: your reason for being, beyond mere profit&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>A core philosophy should be a reflection of what you believe in, not something you think you <em>should<\/em> believe in. When trying to put the ideology into words, first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-are-your-core-values\/\">identify your core values<\/a> in a clear and concise way, then limit them to those that you know you\u2019ll stick to, no matter what happens. Then articulate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-life-purpose\/\">your purpose<\/a> by asking, \u201cBesides profit, what drives the company?\u201d From there, you can come up with an enduring core philosophy that can guide you for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 6: Change Is Constant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The research presented in the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book debunks the business myth that visionary companies are constantly changing at a high-speed pace. While they do have an incredible drive for progress, they don\u2019t evolve at the expense of their core ideals. This is the very essence of a visionary company:<strong> <\/strong>They employ the power of the <em>and<\/em> to preserve the core <em>and<\/em> stimulate progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies are crucially able to distinguish between a core philosophy\u2014timeless, unchanging principles\u2014and non-core practices\u2014manifestations of this core philosophy that change constantly to keep up with an ever-evolving world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Boeing\u2019s core philosophy is, \u201cBeing on the leading edge of aviation,\u201d while their non-core practice is making jumbo jets. If they stop making jumbo jets and start making flying cars, they would be changing a non-core practice while still adhering to their core ideology.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you mistake a non-core practice that can be changed for a core ideal that can\u2019t be changed, you remain stagnant and will eventually fall behind as the world passes you by. It\u2019s thus important to maintain the yin of preserving the core alongside the yang of stimulating progress. A visionary company uses a core philosophy to define the boundaries between what they can and can\u2019t do, then use a drive for progress to fly within those lines.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 7: Visionary Companies Are Ultra-Conservative<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The research presented in Collins&#8217;s book <em>Built to Last<\/em><\/strong> <strong>revealed that one of the ways visionary companies stimulate progress is <em>not<\/em> conservative: They set daring, seemingly impossible goals, or what Collins and Porras coined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/big-hairy-audacious-goal-bhag\/\">Big Hairy Audacious Goals<\/a> (BHAGs, pronounced <em>bee-hags<\/em>). <\/strong>These BHAGs typically take 10 to 30 years to achieve and only have a 50 to 70 percent probability of success\u2014but visionary companies see them as eminently doable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are different types of BHAGs: Ambition BHAGs can be quantitative (\u201cbecome a $1 billion company by X\u201d) or qualitative targets; challenger BHAGs focus on beating the competition; icon BHAGs seek to emulate established players; and refresher BHAGs are big changes that are great for old or big organizations that need a shot in the arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When coming up with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/bhag-examples\/\">BHAG<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Be precise about the language that you use so that it\u2019s easy to understand and unambiguous.<\/li><li>Reflect on your goal\u2019s audacity and ensure that it pushes you out of your comfort zone.<\/li><li>Check your goal\u2019s alignment with your core philosophy.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Increase your chances of achieving your BHAG by fully committing to it, being driven by something greater than profit, and building it into the organization so that it transcends any disruption such as a change in leadership. Lastly, it\u2019s essential that you keep setting more BHAGs even as you cross others off your list so that you don\u2019t become complacent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 8: Anyone Can Fit Right Into a Visionary Company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For many people, working at a visionary company is the dream. But, as the research presented in the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book reveals, not everyone can work at these dream companies; some people just don\u2019t fit in. This is because visionary companies want to preserve their core philosophy and thus make sure that everyone in the company is compatible with their ideals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Visionary companies are so single-minded when it comes to preserving their core that they\u2019re almost cult-like.<\/strong> In their quest to ensure that everyone in the company is on the same page, they\u2019ve demonstrated the following cult-like practices and characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Alignment<\/strong>: Visionary companies have a tough screening process and systems\u2014rewards for actions that adhere to the core philosophy and penalties for non-adherence\u2014to ensure that new hires fit seamlessly into the organization.<\/li><li><strong>Indoctrination<\/strong>: Visionary companies thoroughly immerse new employees in the core philosophy. They have orientation seminars and even full-blown \u201cuniversities\u201d to teach the company\u2019s history, values, and traditions.<\/li><li><strong>Exclusivity<\/strong>: Visionary companies want their employees to feel like they are part of a special, elite group. They encourage their workers to socialize among themselves and not with outsiders. For example, IBM took \u201cemployee socialization\u201d to a new level: The company managed country clubs where IBMers could mix and mingle exclusively with other IBMers.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These cult-like practices may seem like an almost unhealthy desire to control their people. But having these practices in place not only maintains the core but also enables companies to entrust their employees with operational autonomy. When they see that employees embody what the company is all about, visionary companies give them the wings to fly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 9: Visionary Companies Carefully Plan Everything<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors debunk the business myth that visionary companies\u2019 success is wholly a result of deliberate planning. While visionary companies are strategic planners, some of them reached new heights through something akin to Charles Darwin\u2019s evolutionary theory: Species evolved over time through a process of \u201cvariation,\u201d changing to adapt to their environment, and then \u201cselection,\u201d wherein only the strongest variants survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While visionary companies do a fair amount of strategic planning, such as setting BHAGs, they also make use of their own process of variation and selection, keeping the best results of their experiments and making the most of opportunities that come their way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you want to stimulate evolutionary progress, you have to make room for unplanned variation and allow your people to experiment and get creative.<\/strong> You have to act quickly and seize opportunities that come your way. Accept that mistakes are all part of the process\u2014evolution isn\u2019t perfect; failed experiments are an inherent part of it, just as weak mutations don\u2019t survive as a species evolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>For example, Johnson &amp; Johnson had successful experiments like Band-Aids, but also had many failed experiments, such as kola stimulants, ibuprofen pain relievers, and colored casts that stained hospital linens.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 10: Hiring CEOs From Outside Can Revitalize a Company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, flagging companies look to an outsider to be their savior. But visionary companies hardly ever look outside; in fact, within the era of study, they only hired 3.5 percent of their 113 chief executives from outside, versus comparison companies\u2019 22.1 percent out of 140. That\u2019s because visionary companies ensure that they have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/management-succession\/\">leadership continuity<\/a> loop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>They <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-develop-leaders\/\">develop leaders<\/a> and come up with a succession plan. <\/strong>Visionary companies have formal management development programs to identify and train top managerial talent in the organization. Leaders also put a lot of thought into succession, sometimes planning years in advance.<\/li><li><strong>They have a list of strong internal candidates. <\/strong>Visionary companies have a culture of developing and training leaders through intensive management training programs. As a result, the companies often have a number of capable candidates who are ready to take on a leadership role when needed.<\/li><li><strong>They ensure continuous excellent leadership from within. <\/strong>Those who find themselves in leadership roles at visionary companies then keep the cycle going by planning for their successor.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These three elements form a never-ending loop that allows the company to maintain the core while stimulating progress. When any of these elements is missing, a company ends up with a leadership gap. Without good people leading the way, a company may find itself stuck, unsure of how to move forward. They may then scramble for a replacement from outside, hoping this savior will give the company some much-needed stimulation. However, an outsider who isn\u2019t aligned with the company\u2019s core philosophy may steer the company in a direction that may be damaging to the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a CEO or a member of top management, you should identify, train, and promote top managerial talent. Formulate a long-range succession plan so that passing the torch from one generation to the next will be seamless. If you\u2019re a manager, think about developing leaders and coming up with a succession plan for your department or group. If you\u2019re an entrepreneur, think long-term\u2014start thinking about how your business can endure from generation to generation, long after you\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 11: Visionary Companies Are Relentless Versus the Competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies aren\u2019t obsessed with doing better than their competitors; instead, they\u2019re primarily focused on beating themselves. At no point do visionary companies ever think that they\u2019ve reached the finish line\u2014continuous improvement is a part of who they are, and so they always demand more of themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visionary companies implement policies with teeth to ensure that they keep performing better than they did the year before. In particular, they do two things:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Seed discomfort. <\/strong>Visionary companies want their people to feel discontented with their accomplishments because it pushes them to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/striving-for-more\/\">strive for more<\/a>. To create motivational discontent, visionary companies use various tactics. Some examples of these tactics are internal competitions between brands, forced innovation by getting rid of profitable product lines, and pooled rankings among employees.<\/li><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-think-long-term\/\">Think long-term<\/a>. <\/strong>Visionary companies think 50 years into the future and make long-term investments in several areas: new property, plants, and equipment; research and development; new management methods, industry practices, and technology; and human capital. They never sacrifice long-term goals for the sake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/long-term-profits\/\">short-term profit<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The quest for self-improvement is never-ending, because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/learn-from-success\/\">success is never final<\/a>. Even when a company is at the top, there\u2019s no guarantee that they\u2019ll stay there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Myth 12: Vision Statements Are an Integral Part of Success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a vision statement can be useful, but it\u2019s only the first step. <strong>Contrary to this business myth, a vision statement doesn\u2019t guarantee greatness; the real work is in bringing the vision to life.<\/strong> Visionary companies try to bring the vision to life by incorporating their core philosophy into everything they do and, most importantly, making sure their methods are aligned with each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alignment means that everything a company does and every element reinforce each other. <strong>When a company doesn\u2019t have alignment, constantly opposing forces significantly hinder their progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeking alignment is a tricky, never-ending process, but these actions help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Take a big-picture approach. <\/strong>Visionary companies use a comprehensive, carefully thought-out, and consistent system to achieve the yin and yang of maintaining the core and stimulating progress. You can\u2019t take a single element\u2014a core ideology, BHAGs, evolution, a cult-like culture, management development\u2014and create a masterpiece. It takes all of these things working together.<\/li><li><strong>Pay attention to details. <\/strong>While a big picture is nice to look at, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/small-details\/\">small details<\/a> are vital. Employees have a greater drive to achieve the vision when they see it consistently in the small, day-to-day signals and cues.<\/li><li><strong>Put together mechanisms that reinforce each other. <\/strong>Visionary companies don\u2019t introduce anything arbitrarily; each element works in concert with others. Visionary companies put together mechanisms that reinforce each other to deliver a clear, consistent message.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Be guided by your core. <\/strong>Visionary companies don\u2019t let trends dictate their actions; rather than asking if a practice is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d they ask if it\u2019s something that\u2019s aligned with their core.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Eliminate misalignments. <\/strong>While your core philosophy should remain sacred, everything else can evolve. When a company lets their non-core practices evolve, it\u2019s easy to allow practices and policies that push the company away from its core philosophy or slow down progress. Stay vigilant and correct these misalignments.<\/li><li><strong>Come up with new methods. <\/strong>Some visionary companies use more BHAGs, others use more mechanisms of discontent. You can use a combination of ideas from the <em>Built to Last<\/em> book to see what works for your company, but you don\u2019t have to stop there. You can invent new ways of maintaining the core and stimulating progress\u2014as long as they\u2019re true to your core philosophy.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Building a Visionary Company<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking all the key concepts together, the four key concepts behind building a visionary company are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Focus on clock building, not time telling.<\/li><li>Tap into the \u201cpower of the <em>and<\/em>.\u201d<\/li><li>Embrace the yin and yang of maintaining the core and stimulating progress.<\/li><li>Keep everything aligned.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Four concepts sound simple enough. Simple doesn\u2019t mean <em>easy<\/em>, but with this framework, <em>you<\/em> can start applying these concepts, no matter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-genius\/\">who you are<\/a>. Apply them to your organization, your fledgling business, or your team. Amplify your efforts by helping others around you understand the concepts and take them to heart. <strong>And always remember that enduring greatness, though challenging, is within your reach.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the 12 business myths presented in the Built to Last book? What&#8217;s the truth about visionary companies? Bestselling author Jim Collins and Stanford professor Jerry I. Porras conducted a six-year research project to find the keys to visionary companies\u2019 longevity and tremendous success. Their book Built to Last identifies 12 business myths and shares practical advice for those who want to build a company that lasts. Read more to learn the 12 business myths presented in the Built to Last book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":49372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,45,79],"tags":[493],"class_list":["post-49367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-business","category-entrepreneurship","tag-built-to-last","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 12 Business Myths From the Book Built to Last - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The book Built to Last debunks 12 business myths about what it takes to build a visionary company. Learn the myths\u2014and the truth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/built-to-last-book\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 12 Business Myths From the Book Built to Last\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The book Built to Last debunks 12 business myths about what it takes to build a visionary company. 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