Warren Buffett and Secrets of Management - 46
A writer mentioned one time that Warren Buffett had a tremendous ability to focus. He added though that it was also a weakness that made it impossible for Buffett to reinvent himself and anything that would force him to do so was a threat to him.
This is an odd observation to me. First of all, the statement really makes no sense. A manager that's able to keep focus and not go off track is one of the most effective that there is in the business world.
Buffett has said many times that he tap-dances to work every day because he loves what he does so much. Why would he try to reinvent something that he loves? What purpose would there be in it?
Even if the writer meant that Buffett was holding back his companies because of his focus, again, doesn't make any sense. If someone is reinventing themselves in relationship to a company, they couldn't do it in relationship to the core purpose and values of the company or it would no longer be what they are.
But the other conclusion that something that would force him to move off of his focus was a threat to him, I agree. If you move off of the focus and purpose of the company, it is a threat to the survival of the company. This person meant it as a weakness in that way toward Buffett, but on the contrary, it is a strength of his.
Focus is the ability to stay on course in spite of the hype and "everybody is doing it" mentality that is so pervasive in corporations around the world.
Look at Gillette, which Buffett has invested in heavily through Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) throughout the years. They had a constant flow of improvement to their product over the years, and still do. That never brought them out of focus or reinventing themselves to be something else.
The point is that focus doesn't mean that you don't improve and make changes. Companies that Buffett owns are always doing that. Focus and reinvention aren't things that fight against one another, rather they're compliments of each other and grow together.
It is a lack of focus that causes people to go off in all types of directions unconnected to a company's core purpose. If you want to call that reinvention, go ahead, but it has no value to the growth and quality of a company. Rather, it has a good chance of destroying it.
Other Buffett Resources:
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