Entrenched myths, contrary findings.

• Author: Collins, Jim
• Position: Brief article

From Great By Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen. Copyright [c]2011 by the authors. Published by Harper Business (www. harpercollins.com).

The core of our analysis always rested on comparing the 1 OX cases--a 10X company beats its industry index by at least 10 times--to the comparisons across time and asking, What was different?" This method of inquiry proved particularly powerful for not only developing insights but also shattering deeply entrenched myths. In fact, many of the findings ran absolutely counter to our intuition. Here is a sampling of myths undermined by research.

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Entrenched myth: Successful leaders in a turbulent world are bold, risk-seeking visionaries.

Contrary finding: The best leaders we studied did not have a visionary ability to predict the future. They observed what worked, figured out why it worked, and built upon proven foundations. They were not more risk taking, more bold, more visionary, and more creative than the comparisons. They were more disciplined, more empirical, and more paranoid.

Entrenched myth: Radical change on the outside requires radical change on the inside.

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