William C. Taylor - Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways

Simply Brilliant is, well, simply brilliant! Bill Taylor empowers us with a set of basic, first-order principles in actionon the virtues of kindness, humility, and empathythat turbocharge, and often outdo, all of the more complex ideas we teach in business schools. A must read!

LEN SCHLESINGER , professor, Baker Foundation, Harvard Business School, president emeritus, Babson College

Simply Brilliant is just thatreal examples of the journey from ordinary to extraordinary. Bill Taylor challenges us to think differently about elevating our organizations to be truly distinctive in what we do and how we do it. His book inspires and equips us to accept that challenge.

SANDRA L. FENWICK , president and CEO, Boston Childrens Hospital

I have followed Bill Taylor since the early days of Fast Company, and have used some of his ideas myself in the turnaround of Hudsons Bay Company. Im a strong believer!

BONNIE BROOKS , chief adventurer (vice chairman), Hudsons Bay Company (Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Hudsons Bay)

The twenty-first-century workplace requires that leaders at all levels become both artists and entrepreneurs. Simply Brilliant highlights the power of this creative mix in all kinds of organizations and all sorts of fields. Ill be sharing these stories of original thinking and nimble leadership with my students and colleagues.

TERRI LONIER , dean, career and professional experience, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

I love this book so much. Greatness (!) from real people (!) in the most un-Silicon Valley (!) markets and locations imaginable. Wow!

TOM PETERS , coauthor of In Search of Excellence

A fascinating look inside companies that are rewriting the rules of success. If youve ever wondered whether imagination beats knowledge or passion overcomes ambition, drop what youre doing and read this book.

ADAM GRANT , Wharton professor, author of Originals and Give and Take

Weve all heard of the garage startup that becomes a tech giant like Apple or Google. But what about the startup thats actually reinventing the garage? Simply Brilliant provides a roadmap for inspiration and innovation in the unlikeliest, most everyday places.

LINDA ROTTENBERG , cofounder of Endeavor, author of Crazy Is a Compliment

Simply Brilliant offers transformative messages for leaders in all walks of life. This book will challenge you to look at yourself, your work, and the world around you with fresh eyes and a more open mind.

SIR KEN ROBINSON , educator, author of Creative Schools

Simply Brilliant is a unicorn among business books: A clear and instructive manual for disruption that also happens to be a terrific read. Bill Taylor has defined parameters for innovation that are relevant and actionable whether your goal is to grow a business or cure a disease.

DEBORAH W. BROOKS , cofounder and executive vice chairman, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research

Bill Taylor is backand hes better than ever! Simply Brilliant describes how to make your organization truly extraordinary by focusing on the values that set you apart from the pack. Brimming with fascinating case studies, this book is essential reading for leaders in every industry.

DANIEL H. PINK , author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

Bill Taylor has done it again. This book is going to change your business foreverwhen you read it, youll understand.

SETH GODIN , author of Linchpin

ALSO BY WILLIAM C. TAYLOR

Practically Radical: Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself

Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win (with Polly LaBarre)

Going Global: Four Entrepreneurs Map the New World Marketplace (with Alan M. Webber)

No-Excuses Management: Proven Systems for Starting Fast, Growing Quickly, and Surviving Hard Times (with T. J. Rodgers and Rick Foreman)

The Big Boys: Power and Position in American Business (with Ralph Nader)

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Copyright 2016 by William C. Taylor

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Ebook ISBN 9780698188778

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Names: Taylor, William, 1959 author.

Title: Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways / William C. Taylor.

Description: New York, NY: Portfolio / Penguin, [2016]

Identifiers: LCCN 2016030136 | ISBN 9781591847755 (print)

Subjects: LCSH: Organizational effectiveness. | Organizational behavior. | Organizational change. | Success in business.

Classification: LCC HD58.9 .T39 2016 | DDC 658dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030136

Version_1

To Chloe, Paige, and Grace
youre anything but ordinary

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE: THE NEW STORY OF SUCCESS

The Possible Is Immense

W ho doesnt want to be part of a great success story? To run, start, or play a leadership role in a company that wins big and changes the course of its industry. To launch a brand that dazzles customers and dominates its market. To be the kind of executive or entrepreneur who creates jobs, generates wealth, and builds an organization bursting with energy and creativity.

These days, in the popular imagination, the quest for success has become synonymous with the spread of disruptive technologies and viral apps, with the rise of radical business models and newfangled work arrangements. This is the stuff that fuels the dreams of countless engineers and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, and inspires hard-charging innovators such as Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Ubers Travis Kalanick. The new economy, the story goes, belongs to a new generation of companies and leaders who have little in common with what came before.

But why should the story of success be the exclusive domain of a few technology-driven start-ups or a handful of young billionaires? The story of this book, its message for leaders who aim to do something important and build something great, is both simple and subversive: In a time of wrenching disruptions and exhilarating advances, of unrelenting turmoil and unlimited promise, the future is open to everybody. The thrill of breakthrough creativity and breakaway performance doesnt belong just to the youngest companies with the most cutting-edge technology or the most radical business strategies. It can be summoned in all sorts of industries and all walks of life, if leaders can reimagine whats possible in their fields.