Sublime

Sequencing markets correctly is underrated, and it takes discipline to expand gradually. The most successful companies make the core progression—to first dominate a specific niche and then scale to adjacent markets—a part of their founding narrative.

effective CEO/coach might say,

Wilke’s secret to success? A culture of operational excellence—built on lean manufacturing, statistical process control, the theory of constraints, and purpose-built software.‡ Lean manufacturing, of course, came from the Toyota Way, the fusion of Deming’s and Japan’s “East meets West” ideas and practices. Statistical process control, too, comes st

Large enterprise customers can be novices, and SMB customers can be experts.

If a pathological or bureaucratic culture is prevalent (see Table 3.1); if the organization or business area is not receptive to upheaval; if there have been failed capital “T” Transformation attempts; if there is little psychological safety; if there is fear; if there are strong vested interests in maintaining the status quo; or if the locus of co

inexpensive in-market product testing.

experimenting is part of your culture, you can respond in hours or days, changing your offerings to meet market shifts and customer demands. Quick reflexes and fast turnaround can be part of what sets you apart from the pack.

Lightweight performance reviews,

“The CEO of Automattic on Holding ‘Auditions’ to Build a Strong Team” from the April 2014 issue of the Harvard Business Review (find it on hbr.org).