The Godfather Part III, 1990
In the third part of The Godfather, Cardinal Lamberto says to Michael Corleone: “When the mind suffers, the body cries out.” Michael is the head of a mighty mafia clan, yet he looks weak and sick.
The cardinal’s wisdom applies to the corporate body too. A healthy body grows on its own. A sick one demands your fix.
A company does not scream with words, but through symptoms:
slow making and execution of key decisions,
demotivated staff, intrigue, and cynicism,
constant conflict between departments,
falling revenue, margins, and net profit,
avoiding responsibility by everyone,
growing administrative overhead,
dependence on a single client,
wild bets with zero yield,
endless firefighting,
no new products,
a power vacuum and such.
Most leaders treat isolated symptoms. That is wasted effort and money. The cardinal points to a better direction — gaze up.
What is the mind of a company? First of all, it is the founder.
As the business grows, the founder improves the quality of his decisions through others: the executive team, advisors, and the board.
The suffering of the corporate mind is just as easy to recognize:
fights and conflicts between co-founders, investors,
no one has a long-term vision for the company (or for himself),
pipe dreams of "systems business" and ditching the ops grind
paralysis between hunger for change and fear of losing it all,
lots of meetings and decks about strategy, but no clarity,
micromanagement and shareholders’ pet projects,
owners blaming the CEO for every possible sin,
no idea of where to find leaps in growth,
disorientation, lack of focus, loss of meaning, and so on.
Heal the founder's mind—the business heals itself.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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