The Myths of Built to Last

Great companies don’t have to have great ideas. That’s one of the myths that they talk about and built to last
Likewise, a company doesn’t have to just be focused on finances according to built to last
Inbuilt to last, they say that the core values of a company are critical to its success as being a great long-term visionary company. They say that the people that don’t jive with those values are ejected like a virus and those that do fit in really really well
The point of all this is that it doesn’t mean that a company has to have a higher purpose and has to fundamentally have something else at its core then finance. I believe that built to last authors are wrong about that because every company has finance and profit as the the main priority when the chips are down
The point is is that they don’t have to have one of those things truly at their core. **They just have to believe that they do.**
And the reason that this is important is because a company that believes that it has other core values at its core will train the superorganism towards those goals and incorporate them
In other words, **they are built a little bit more by design towards something other than profit**. If they stayed out right that their goal is only profit or just give lip service and everyone knows that it’s lip service, then the organism will grow to be one of the inflexible ones that is at the core of the innovator’s dilemma or at the bottom or the comparison models for built to last the ones that are not great companies
But if they have at their core a belief that they’re about something else and that is incorporated into their day-to-day operations, then the outcome is different
In other words, they live by design and not by default
And it is that living by design and not by default of observing and being intentional about your operations being intentional about your process that is at the core of the duct tape principle
The usual route is just to apply the duct tape and move on. The duct tape principle is to observe. Know that you have to live intentionally. Know that you have to build your company by design and know that that requires having a belief in core values, even if those core values are not necessarily followed. It’s not having core values; it’s believing in core values. It’s a sort of well-intentioned hypocrisy that is necessary to get the tree to lean the right way; to shape the superorganism to sort of resemble something other than an amoebic ATM. “oh look! That ant hill kind of looks like a heart!” That sort of thing.
So Simon Synek is Right when he talks about start with why. Starting with why is the architecture of the disposition of the organism that is your company
Starting with why is the architectural sketch of the future disposition of the organism that is your company.
**It’s not a visionary idea; It’s visionary intent.**
The truth is that there is no lightning. The shiny thing that you see is duct tape
Companies don’t start with great ideas or singular great ideas or in other words, lightning in a bottle. They begin with a near-pathological intention towards finding a great business model. This is living by design. This is living by process
And so it’s not lightning in a bottle. It’s a slow hunch nurtured over time or put another way it’s finding and replacing the duct tape
According to built to last Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Walmart all started without any idea
Built the last mentions 3M and how they got started. It was a failed mining adventure
Where the stock was going for two stock for a cheap shot of whiskey
The company didn’t know what to do so they started making sandpaper
Sandpaper
That’s duct tape
But that’s not an entirely accurate history because they were intending to do sandpaper from the beginning
What’s more remarkable about 3M is that they kept with it. They had basically a failure because they couldn’t get the right mineral and they had that really useless mineral instead but they kept going and they were founded on this principal of finding the next thing through nursing slow hunches

William Mcknight’s philosophy was “listen to anyone with an idea”
Mcknight’s philosophy and Outlook became the core principles and core values of the company.
And long story short, they almost literally invented duct tape. It was Scotch tape. Not duct tape but still the underlying principle is exactly the same
They were intentional and methodic. **Being intentional and methodic is the driving force behind the duct tape principle.**
A company that is intentional a company that is methodic about finding those pieces of duct tape. Those areas of weakness that have to keep going once a company finds one of those and has built its superorganism in such a way or rather has designed their superorganism in such a way that they are amenable to those ideas. That’s when you get the magic or the lightning in a bottle
The Pixar principle applies here as well
(see the notes from nurnberg talk in this same section — slow hunch and Pixar principle amongst other things are in there. )
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up.
If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
-e
Cleaned up via ChatGPT:
Great companies don’t have to have great ideas. That’s one of the myths that they talk about and built to last.
Great companies don’t have to have great ideas. That’s one of the myths they talk about **in *Built to Last*.**
—
Likewise, a company doesn’t have to just be focused on finances according to built to last.
Likewise, a company doesn’t have to be solely focused on finances, **according to *Built to Last*.**
—
Inbuilt to last, they say that the core values of a company are critical to its success as being a great long-term visionary company. They say that the people that don’t jive with those values are ejected like a virus and those that do fit in really really well.
**In *Built to Last*,** they say that the core values of a company are critical to its success as **a** great long-term visionary company. They say that **people who don’t align** with those values are ejected like a virus, and those that do fit in really, really well.
—
The point of all this is that it doesn’t mean that a company has to have a higher purpose and has to fundamentally have something else at its core then finance. I believe that built to last authors are wrong about that because every company has finance and profit as the the main priority when the chips are down.
The point of all this is that it doesn’t mean **a company has to have a higher purpose or something fundamentally different at its core than finance**. I believe **the authors of *Built to Last* are** wrong about that because every company has finance and profit as **the** main priority when the chips are down.
—
The point is is that they don’t have to have one of those things truly at their core. They just have to believe that they do.
The point **is** that they don’t have to have one of those things truly at their core. They just have to believe that they do.
—
And the reason that this is important is because a company that believes that it has other core values at its core will train the superorganism towards those goals and incorporate them.
And the reason **this is** important is because a company that believes **it has** other core values **will** train the superorganism towards those goals and incorporate them.
—
In other words, they are built a little bit more by design towards something other than profit. If they stayed out right that their goal is only profit or just give lip service and everyone knows that it’s lip service, then the organism will grow to be one of the inflexible ones that is at the core of the innovator’s dilemma or at the bottom or the comparison models for built to last the ones that are not great companies.
In other words, they are built a little bit more by design towards something other than profit. If they **state outright** that their goal is only profit or just give lip service, and everyone knows **it’s** lip service, then the organism will grow to be one of **those** inflexible ones that is at the core of the innovator’s dilemma or **among** the comparison models **in *Built to Last*—**the ones that are not great companies.
—
But if they have at their core a belief that they’re about something else and that is incorporated into their day-to-day operations, then the outcome is different.
But if they have **a belief** at their core that they’re about something else, and that is incorporated into their day-to-day operations, then the outcome is different.
—
In other words, they live by design and not by default.
In other words, they live by design and not by default.
—
And it is that living by design and not by default of observing and being intentional about your operations being intentional about your process that is at the core of the duct tape principle.
And it is that living by design and not by default—of observing and being intentional about your operations, being intentional about your process—that is at the core of the duct tape principle.
—
The usual route is just to apply the duct tape and move on. The duct tape principle is to observe. Know that you have to live intentionally. Know that you have to build your company by design and know that that requires having a belief in core values, even if those core values are not necessarily followed. It’s not having core values; it’s believing in core values. It’s a sort of well-intentioned hypocrisy that is necessary to get the tree to lean the right way; to shape the superorganism to sort of resemble something other than an amoebic ATM. “oh look! That ant hill kind of looks like a heart!” That sort of thing.
The usual route is just to apply the duct tape and move on. The duct tape principle is to observe. Know that you have to live intentionally. Know that you have to build your company by design, and know that that requires having a belief in core values, even if those core values are not necessarily followed. It’s not having core values; it’s believing in core values. It’s a sort of well-intentioned hypocrisy that is necessary to get the tree to lean the right way, to shape the superorganism to resemble something other than an amoebic ATM. “Oh, look! That **anthill** kind of looks like a heart!” That sort of thing.
—
So Simon cynic is Right when he talks about start with why. Starting with why is the architecture of the disposition of the organism that is your company.
So **Simon Sinek** is **right** when he talks about starting with “why.” Starting with “why” is the architecture of the disposition of the organism that is your company.
—
Starting with why is the architectural sketch of the future disposition of the organism that is your company.
Starting with **”why”** is the architectural sketch of the future disposition of the organism that is your company.
—
It’s not a visionary idea. It’s visionary intent.
It’s not a visionary idea. It’s visionary intent.
—
The truth is that there is no lightning. The shiny thing that you see is duct tape.
The truth is that there is no lightning. The shiny thing that you see is duct tape.
—
Companies don’t start with great ideas or singular great ideas or in other words, lightning in a bottle. They begin with a near-pathological intention towards finding a great business model. This is living by design. This is living by process.
Companies don’t start with great ideas or singular great ideas or, in other words, lightning in a bottle. They begin with a near-pathological intention **toward** finding a great business model. This is living by design. This is living by process.
—
And so it’s not lightning in a bottle. It’s a slow hunch nurtured over time or put another way it’s finding and replacing the duct tape.
And so it’s not lightning in a bottle. It’s a slow hunch nurtured over time, or put another way, it’s finding and replacing the duct tape.
—
According to built to last Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Walmart all started without any idea.
According to ***Built to Last*,** Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Walmart all started without any **big** idea.
—
Built the last mentions 3M and how they got started. It was a failed mining adventure where the stock was going for two stock for a cheap shot of whiskey.
** *Built to Last* mentions** 3M and how they got started. It was a failed mining **venture** where the stock was going for two **shares** for a cheap shot of whiskey.
—
The company didn’t know what to do so they started making sandpaper.
The company didn’t know what to do, so they started making sandpaper.
—
Sandpaper.
Sandpaper.
—
That’s duct tape.
That’s duct tape.
—
But that’s not an entirely accurate history because they were intending to do sandpaper from the beginning.
But that’s not an entirely accurate history because they were intending to **make** sandpaper from the beginning.
—
What’s more remarkable about 3M is that they kept with it. They had basically a failure because they couldn’t get the right mineral and they had that really useless mineral instead but they kept going and they were founded on this principal of finding the next thing through nursing slow hunches.
What’s more remarkable about 3M is that they **stuck** with it. They had basically a failure because they couldn’t get the right mineral, and they had **a** really useless mineral instead, but they kept going, and they were founded on this principle of finding the next thing through nurturing slow hunches.
—
William Mcknight’s philosophy was “listen to anyone with an idea.”
**William McKnight’s** philosophy was “listen to anyone with an idea.”
—
Mcknight’s philosophy and Outlook became the core principles and core values of the company.
**McKnight’s philosophy and outlook** became the core principles and core values of the company.
—
And long story short, they almost literally invented duct tape. It was Scotch tape. Not duct tape but still the underlying principle is exactly the same.
And long story short, they almost literally invented duct tape. It was Scotch tape—not duct tape—but still, **the underlying principle is exactly the same**.
—
They were intentional and methodic. Being intentional and methodic is the driving force behind the duct tape principle.
They were intentional and **methodical**. Being intentional and **methodical** is the driving force behind the duct tape principle.
—
A company that is intentional a company that is methodic about finding those pieces of duct tape. Those areas of weakness that have to keep going once a company finds one of those and has built its superorganism in such a way or rather has designed their superorganism in such a way that they are amenable to those ideas. That’s when you get the magic or the lightning in a bottle.
A company that is intentional, a
company that is **methodical** about finding those pieces of duct tape—those areas of weakness that have to keep going—once a company finds one of those and has built its superorganism in such a way, or rather has designed their superorganism in such a way, that they are amenable to those ideas, that’s when you get the magic or the lightning in a bottle.
—
The Pixar principle applies here as well
(see the notes from nurnberg talk in this same section — slow hunch and Pixar principle amongst other things are in there. )
The Pixar principle applies here as well
(see the notes from **the Nuremberg** talk in this same section—slow hunch and Pixar principle, among other things, are in there).
—
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up.
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up.
—
If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
—
Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to adjust!

——–
## SUMMARY
A reflection on company culture, highlighting how intentional belief in core values—even if imperfectly implemented—can shape organizational direction and drive innovation beyond pure profit motives.

Categories

• [Idea]
• [Reference]
• [Organizational Strategy]

##

Key Points

• Great companies don’t necessarily start with great ideas
• Believing in core values is more important than perfectly executing them
• Companies should live by design, not by default
• Innovation emerges from methodical, intentional exploration
• Organizational culture shapes long-term success

Action Items

• Develop intentional organizational beliefs
• Create systems that encourage exploration
• Foster a culture of continuous learning
• Design processes that go beyond profit-driven goals
• Encourage slow, methodical innovation

Connections

• Organizational Design Principles
• Innovation and Organizational Culture
• Strategic Intentionality in Business