Companies that lack agility can’t compete.  Agility is
the bottom-line competitive advantage in these days of unprecedented uncertainty. That’s the opinion of
Mike Richardson, a former corporate manager and author of Wheel$pin: The
Agile Executive’s Manifesto. His point is
that it’s agility that drives a company’s ability to compete in the business
world.

“Everyone in the business press today
seems to write endlessly about the challenges of the current economy without
acknowledging the fact there are companies that are doing quite well, thank you,
despite the economic downturn,” Richardson said. “There are some companies and
executives that don’t rely on a healthy economy to make money. In fact, there
are a few who simply rise to the occasion. That’s what being agile in business
is all about.”

According to Richardson, the three
companies that do that better than many others in America are:

• Apple Corporation – The passing of
Steve Jobs, while tragic, will not end Apple’s reign at the top. In his time
at the company, he instilled a culture of agility that will not go away. Apple
began at the dawn of the computer industry and it survived as a computer
manufacturer even though its operating system was arguably mimicked by
Microsoft to become the standard for PC computing. Instead, Apple set out to
achieve excellence in the areas that Microsoft and other manufacturers did in
a mediocre fashion. It carved out a niche for itself in the graphics and
publishing industry, where it is still a standard. After being ousted at Apple
(and forming Pixar, which revolutionized the film industry), Jobs would return
to use iTunes to revolutionize the way music publishers distributed music,
even as he introduced iPods to revolutionize the way we would all listen to
that music. Apple then set the new standard with mobile devices with its
iPhones, and finally returned to computing to revolutionize portable computers
with the iPad. Apple never met a storm it didn’t weather nor an industry it
couldn’t change.

• Ford Motors – When the auto
industry fell so hard that it had to turn to the government for a bailout,
Ford Motors turned the corner. They took the bailout, and then took over.
After ceding the top sales spot to Toyota and falling near bankruptcy, the
company bounced back with new models, a new strategy and an earnings year that
returned them so resoundingly to profitability, the company paid back its
government loan in full. When Toyota stumbled after having to recall millions
of cars, Ford stepped back in, surpassing their Japanese rival as a quick
follow-up to its post bail-out resurgence. After all, agility isn’t always
about being able to dodge the bullet, but rather, it is also about how quickly
you come back after it strikes you squarely in the chest.

• Yahoo! – Over the last few years,
the media has not been kind to Yahoo! As it has dwindled in prestige next to
Google, the punditry has rumored it has been on the sales block for years with
no interest from buyers. Recently, however, Yahoo! has made some moves that
have surprised the critics. It started with a landmark content deal with ABC
News, and then quickly followed up with announcements of eight made-for-Yahoo!
scripted episodic shows to drive its entertainment platform Yahoo! Screen.
Recently, rumors that Microsoft is interested in acquiring Yahoo! have started
to hit the press, putting the bloom back on the rose of one of the Internet’s
first major search engines.

“These are companies who have faced opportunity and
adversity, not with panic, but with poise,” Richardson added. “They deserve to
be recognized not only for what they’ve done, but also to be used as an example
of what all American corporations should strive to become. 
Agile”

For more information: Wheel$pin: The
Agile Executive’s Manifesto (www.mydrivingseat.com).