Page 190 - Free the Idea Monkey

Chapter 13

The David Strategies

When it comes to innova-
tion, David almost always beats
Goliath. I know if you work for a
large company, you don’t want
to hear it, but it is true.

That’s why while the rest of us are dreaming of missing the final
exam for a course we never took, you, an executive of a large com-
pany, keep having nightmares about the maverick firm that is about
to put you out of business with an industry-changing product or
service that makes your beloved Goliath Inc. obsolete.

History shows you have the right to be worried. Whoever
thought that GM would ever find itself struggling for its very exis-
tence while Japanese car companies thrive, or a once tiny regional
institution known as North Carolina National Bank would end up
owning Merrill Lynch?

To allow you to sleep easier at night, let’s examine three
strategies that small and midsize companies constantly employ
against you, and talk about what you can do to counter. (If you
work for a small firm, double check that you are employing all
three approaches.)

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