Passion and Business

From Great People are Overrated (Part II), there’s quote in one of the comments: I read this recently: Boeing went downhill after their primary strategic focus shifted from being passionate about building great planes, to a focus of delivering “shareholder value”.

I read something similar in a book about Clear Channel Communications, with a quote from their CEO saying they had to run their business the best way they knew how, without worrying about the competitors. If they did a great job, the profits would follow.

I’m not sure I like how Clear Channel has run their business, but they have run it their way and been successful. I do think that having a passion and building your product or service to be the best you can, for your market, means you will tend to do well. When you manage for shareholders or an investment, I think we all suffer with a worse product or service.