The difference between winners and losers is less their aims and more their methods

This article argues that companies and brands are differentiated not by their aims - which are broadly similar - but by the underlying beliefs and assumptions which inform their strategy.

The difference between winners and losers is less their aims and more their methods

Jules Goddard and Tony Eccles

"When we deliberate, it is about means, not ends". – Aristotle

A powerful application of the oblique principle lies in the finding that goals are better achieved by focusing on the underlying belief system, rather than on the goal itself. As the proverb has it, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What differentiates firms is not their respective aims and objectives but their beliefs and assumptions. "What sets us against each other is not our aims...

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