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Channel: Founder's Mentality
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CEOs: How well do you know your company?

In my recent discussions about strategy with the leaders of some of the biggest family businesses in South America and Turkey, we covered a number of topics. One of the issues they raised is the...

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How to keep “local” at the top of the agenda

Traveling across three continents in the last two weeks, I’ve heard the following: From the CEO of a UK-based European office services business: “Corporate marketing solutions have become too...

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From a time of heroes to a time of balance

“Revenue grows faster than talent. Discuss.” In my recent visit to Mumbai, I conducted two workshops on the statement above. This issue is often the hardest single problem founders face as they scale...

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The second-generation role: Maintain the magic

I spent this past week in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore talking to founders—or as Indians tend to call them, “promoters.” A recurrent theme was the role of the second generation—the sons and daughters of...

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The four great balancing acts

During my recent trip to Brazil, one founder asked me to provide a list of the likely tensions his fast-growing company would face over the next couple of years. I prepared four key items, which I...

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The tea’s not hot and other frontline stories

During my trip to Mumbai last month, I had the great pleasure of staying in one of the Oberoi hotels (which has the world’s best banana bread, of all things) and talking to Vikram Oberoi, chief...

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Simplifying the job without destroying it

I’m in Kuala Lumpur, writing this blog by the light of the daily afternoon thunderstorms. We just finished our inaugural Developing Market 100 meeting, which brought together an exclusive group of...

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The importance of foundational stories

During my trip to Turkey last week, I had the great privilege of meeting again with Agah Uğur, CEO of Borusan, a Turkish industrial conglomerate. Each time, we were able to meet in Borusan’s beautiful...

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Prosody: What every CEO can learn from songwriting

(A warning to the reader: I was a political philosophy major in college, and in my spare time, I run a small, unsuccessful record label. That goes part way in explaining this blog.) In the fourth...

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My Founder’s Mentality notebook

Banyan Tree’s chain of world-famous spa and luxury resorts is recognized as one of the most visible and fastest-growing brands in Asia. But it grew out of some unlikely circumstances. Its founder, Ho...

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The subtle challenge of routines

I wrote this post aboard Lan 750, the morning flight from Santiago to Sao Paolo, hoping the sun would come up before takeoff so I could watch the sun rise over the Andes. I had just finished a week in...

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Put the country first, but get a good sponsor

One of the major themes we have been exploring is how individual leaders bring a Founder’s MentalitySM to large, complex organizations. Specifically, we’re asking: How do great leaders ensure their own...

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A family in balance

I am writing this post just after finishing a meal of very good paca at Brasil a gosto, a wonderful restaurant in São Paulo run by Ana Luiza Trajano. Ana Luiza is dedicated to creating a truly...

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Create your own job

I recently returned from South Africa, where I had the chance to hear scenario-planning expert Clem Sunter. Clem is the founder of Mind of a Fox, an organization focused on scenario planning, and he...

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Improve everything you touch

Poornima Bhambal, one of the many faces of customer service at the Oberoi Udaivilas Last fall I had the privilege of talking with Vikram Oberoi, chief operating officer and joint managing director of...

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Get away from the desk and back to the field

I’ve just returned from Sao Paulo, where we hosted the Americas’ Regional Meeting of the Developing Market 100. We had a full-day workshop with more than 30 founding CEOs of some of South America’s...

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Fighting the future and the 20% rule

I notice that French president Francois Hollande has just returned from his recent trip to Silicon Valley. I’m sure it was productive, but I’m also sure I’m not the only one to notice some irony in the...

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Leadership: Combining inspiration and impact

Next week, four of my colleagues at Bain & Company will set off to Antarctica on a unique mission to promote sustainability. The expedition is run by an organization called 2041, led by Robert...

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The talent table

One of the most difficult leadership tasks for companies during their early growth phase is addressing the simple fact that revenue grows faster than talent. As the founder of an Indian company said to...

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From crop dusters to key cutters: More tales from the field

Recently, I posted about the need for CEOs to get out of the office and stay in the field, and highlighted a story about a CEO who was shocked to realize that as his company grew he spent less time in...

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