I'm interested in writing a book on excellence, and the cultures and relationships that drive organizations to achieve sustained excellence over long periods of time. Examples don’t necessarily have to be from the business world. Who would you study?

likesmart
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

OP, I see your point, but as with most of these ideas, I think a lot is going to depend on how you define your terms.

There are few armies in the world better able to go take a particular hill than the US Army. They have done it tens of thousands of times, and every time created after action reports to share information and foster a commitment to improving things. McChrystal's tactic in Iraq was flattening out command structure to let junior officers make more decisions and increase operational tempo. This is what led to a huge reduction in Al Qaeda attacks during his command. Operational excellence is a type of excellence.

When you factor political calculations in though, things get dicey. If you lack a political strategy, it doesn't matter how good you are at the operational level. But that's true no matter if you're talking about Jack Welch or LBJ.

like

Aviation safety in the US since the early 90s

likesmarthelpful

Ricky Bobby: Well, I’m the best there is. Plain and simple, when I wake up in the morning I piss excellence.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

like

Sounds like an interesting topic, OP! Some thoughts:

Cultures:
- Amazon
- Ycombinator
- The Apollo Program

Relationships:
- Jonny Ive & Steve Jobs
- Tom Brady & Bill Bellechick

like

US military history and the professionalization of the armed forces

like

Deloitte 1 - Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Great points.

like

JP Morgan Chase under Jamie Dimon

like

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

likesmart

Alabama football in the Saban era is interesting for sure.

like

Deloitte 1 - an interesting idea, but also more broadly a topic worthy of its own dedicated study. While the professionalization of American Armed forces, especially post Vietnam, in the post-draft era, is interesting, I would argue that the US military is hardly an example of an organization that embodies "sustained excellence over long periods of time". In fact, within the last 70 years, the US military's track record can be described as futile at best: e.g. Korean War; Vietnam; second Iraq War & Afghanistan.

smart

@pwc1 you need a comparator for the Patriots. Also study the pats...

like

The Yankees baby

like

The All Blacks are the most successful sports team ever. Definitely worth investigating. British Cycling also great case (no they don’t dope).

like

Partner 2 - that is a great idea, but appears to be more of a topic separate from the cultures and relationships that drive *organizational* excellence. It is an interesting idea to explore however, since it is a complex process, so fraught with risk, and includes a multitude of actors, representing frequent fail points.

I’d look at some of the more winning football programs (probably college).

EY 1 - a good idea!

YW, OP! I mean, it's your book and I don't mean to force a topic on you.

Good luck writing. Be sure to post again when you go to print!

Legitimately thought you were spoofing yourself and "In Search of Excellence."

Weirdly I studied the topic of sustained performance for years (and wrote/published on it). I'm not sure the big names people will come up with are the best companies to study and it is hard to define sustained superior performance. We had a definition that I think was interesting.

The biggest question is over what period of time. There is an easy argument that Lehman Brothers was a fantastic company over a long period of time. Most people don't remember them that way. Enron was thought to have a great culture. The same will surely go for companies that crash and burn today.

Finally it is hard to separate luck from skill, and skill from monopoly.

Patagonia. Ford Pinto a great case on failure in communication if you’re looking for examples of not being excellent

Related Posts

What kind of job do audit seniors typically leave for?

Any account folks make the leap to client side/in-house agencies? I’m so over being in client service, but still love the process. How is it on the dark side?

like

Public finance exit opps?

My AWS certification exam got cancelled because of covid

likefunny

Hi ACN fishes Accenture, Does ACN reimburse certifications cost if passed? I’m looking for CSCP Certification which costs 1200$

like
like

Anyone else have a M.S and barely making over $20/hr in the healthcare industry? Smh, debating on a career change.

like

Currently working as radiology access specialist that is a regular 10 to 6 Monday through Friday. I want to branch out to remote position in healthcare I have about 3 years of working administrative part of healthcare. This will be a second job in a sense. Does anyone have any ideas ?

like

I’m looking to carve out my career in HR. I have 2 years in a dedicated HR Coordinator role (essentially with Generalist duties) and 5+ years in senior level hospitality management. I’m interested in getting my PHR or getting a certificate in data analytics with business/HR focus. Thoughts on next steps?

like

I'm a mid-level crypto twitter influencer (20k followers), mostly via trading, but also generally am just involved in the industry. Any thoughts on transitioning this into my consulting career?

I have 2 years experience in FX collateral management and settlements( middle office). I want to switch into risk or corporate actions or reporting / portfolio management . Is there any Institute for it which it can provide any course/ programme and then provide interviews for such profile or else should I switch by modifying my cv?

like

For those who switched from consulting to mid market PE, how do you like it?

like

Considering moving from BD/Partnerships in tech to Corporate Development. Has anyone here done it? Did you like the switch and do you have any pointers on getting in

like

What are the steps to becoming a marketing manager on the client side?

like

If I were to join industry what level could I argue for? Currently a con within D but was a Sr Con previously. 5 total yrs of consulting experience + few yrs of experience running my own business + 2

like

Anyone know of people who switched to the Strategy side of their bank? Obviously there will be a pay cut, but looking to move towards that direction in my career due to interests

like

Role Industry Consultant : Banking
Band 6B.
YOE 5
What can be the expected salary for this band
How is the worklife balance and growth.?

like

I was wondering if anyone in this group is or knows about groups to support attorneys who are/have been suspended and how to handle it with life. Frankly the state bar isn't a good resource and it's starting to impact my career in not practicing the law. I've been working for a non attorney job in my company for years and was recently told my suspension means I'd never get it. Boy that was a blow that triggered depression and anxiety, still there as it's been less than a year week.

like

Is staying for 18 months as an experienced hire long enough? Want to move to a new location out of my region for personal reasons - don’t care about industry vs consulting

like

HR/human capital/PAS consultant 🐠: If I have a Masters degree in HR and 2 years experience, is it worth it to get the aPHR or SHRM-CP? Or is the Masters degree enough? Should I wait for SPHR/SHRM-SCP

like

More Posts

I am having 6 months of experience.
Can anyone refer me in a good company on java,js,SQL.

like

So I get that in a corporate set up, you are supposed to be sharp and witty and think on your feet. Trouble is, I am extremely slow with comebacks. (Think Ross in Friends/Amy in B99) at the crunch moment, I generally end up not being able to give a good roast back. Unfortunately the best of them come to me like a few hours later (dinner/shower/TV) and I am left ruing and amazing opportunity to have gotten one back. I am awful at jibes and roasts.

Anyone else suffer from this?

like

I have a VC/GE interview coming up (phone screen) and personally don’t know much about the space , it’s just an area that has always seemed interesting.

Does anyone have Recommendations on how to get up to speed/good questions to ask during the phone screen?

I would assume the first call will be pretty standard to any other company, but just want to be prepared.

like

What are the best neighborhoods for an unmarried person moving from NYC?

like

I am looking account job in ahmedabad

I cannot find much of any Results on Fishbowl for ZipRecruiter. Is there anyone that can provide some first hand or even second hand information on working for them?

like
like

Are they calling to offices?

like

What are the best product based companies in Hyderabad for testing roles?

4YOE

like

Is it worth leaving EY as an Audit Senior 2 to Deloitte as a Senior Consultant in Advisory Controllership? Has anyone made the switch from audit and regretted it?

like

Any success stories out there of couples who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds? I’ve heard this difference (statistically) can be a huge barrier to success in a relationship. I’ll add more context in the comments if it helps.

like

Are there any recruiters who are currently actively looking to fill roles within start-up like companies? I have a background in accounting/compliance and was wondering if there were any start up companies within open roles in that space. Additionally, I’m also looking to connect with recruiters who are looking to fulfill account/compliance roles in general. Okay please reach out if you can help me get visibility with your clients. Thank you!

like

Any marriott hilton fast track promo?? No SPG around where Im traveling

like

How do you all take your protein powders with you during traveling? Is it possible to get some in some drug stores or order them online for the week u travel? Suggestions please?!

like

Where is the excel with the best Hilton discount corporate codes

like
like

Which schools make you report all your GRE scores? I don’t want to take it multiple times if they ask for all the scores

like

Athletic 🐠 - who else has trouble with slim pants being tight in the thighs? What are methods you do to get around it? I like slimmer pants for style but don’t want to feel uncomfortable when sitting

likehelpful

This job is not for women with kids unless you go on some sort of reduced schedule or stay up super late most nights after the kids are asleep. This is so impossible!! 😖 just needed to vent somewhere

like

Additional Posts in Consulting

When you’re wondering if you need marriage counseling instead of looking forward to vacation planning 😔

like

Question from a newbie consultant - What are some good online courses/ books to improve consulting skills?

like

Insights into the best consulting firms for public service/ nonprofit work?

like

Any other firms moving towards a regional model (i.e., you have to work in projects in your region)? Im not excited about working in the Midwest

Justifying the Sheraton's painful bed to yourself because the Four Seasons don't recognize your loyalty

like

Advice on best books/audio/free consultations to advise on how to get out of around 30k non-student debt...looking to turn this around within the next two years at most, preferably faster.

like

🐠 & 🦈
Curious to hear what cars everyone drives.

Audi S5 here & a Cayenne GTS on the way. Many clients have given props to the S5

like

VERSION CONTROL! Ugh

like

How does your firm measure utilization? I work for a small boutique that defines it as utilization = number of billable hours/2,080 and full bonus payout occurs at 80% plus.

like

Newly promoted manager - new base $150k with 6 years of experience. Am I doing okay FB fam?

like

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who wrap and Velcro their AC cords, and those who constantly have to untangle a handful of wires. Which one are you?

like

I want to further develop my BI and DE skills. Currently exploring paths of AWS certs with some others mixed in, does this seem like a good strategy:
AWS CCP>Tableau DS> ICAgile (ICP)> AWS SAA>AWS DA > PMI CAPM > and then maybe tableau data analyst or Powerbi.

like

Anyone have good book recommendations that I can learn from and are entertaining? Trying to survive a 10 hour flight this weekend 🆘🆘🆘

like

What would you do?

Post Photo
funnyhelpful

Any book recommendations on handling office politics?

like

Does EY reimburse for internal travel? Eg team meetings ? About to join EY and may have to travel in the first month. Also, is driving an approved mode of transport and get mileage reimbursement ?

like

Looking for some material for a crash course in IT strategy consulting - books article etc. any recommendations would be appreciated

like

Top 10 books to read about consulting life ?

likefunny

Are there any good movies or novels that show skill development - like follow through? Self-management? Money management? I read a lot of self help books so I know a lot of the theory, and books peppered with examples help, but I feel like most 1 paragraph examples don’t five justice to how hard it may be to change a behavior.

like

Anyone think about quitting and becoming a day trader?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal