Since the 1950s we have been judging companies by their longevity. We fret over how long they stay on the Fortune 500 list, maintain a leadership position, or survive “disruptions.”
But does longevity even matter anymore? Isn’t longevity just a bi-product of something more important?
I think that great companies are those that dedicate themselves to a problem that matters. When they solve the problem, they exit the stage triumphant. And companies that survive, do so because the problem they exist to solve (their purpose or mission) is so big that there is still work to do. Longevity is not a goal in itself; it is a bi-product of taking on a big problem… READ MORE