The Reinventors

March 26, 2012
Between 2000 and 2010, 16 of the top 25 companies in the Fortune 500 fell out of rank. Meanwhile, 67% of global CEOs think their current business model is sustainable only for the next three years, 31% believe their current business model will last only five years, and 98% suspect that their business models are ultimately unsustainable. How, then, do companies survive? Leadership and management expert Jennings (Hit the Ground Running) believes that companies have to continuously change and adapt to their environment. To do so entails the inevitable eight-step program: letting go; picking the destination; making small bets on lots of innovations; retaining those who are committed to change; keeping everyone on the same page; practicing frugality; systematizing operations; and acting in the present. With analyses of such companies as Southwest Airlines and Apple, Jennings offers engaging business stories and perhaps a nugget of wisdom for corporate managers, though only time will tell if his survivors make it to 2022. Agent: Alex Nevins, Renaissance Literary and Talent Management.