Introduction
My name is David Willden. I am currently CEO of Breakthrough Practices and founded Strategy-Keys.com - a popular site on business strategy. My passion is to help people and organizations define and reach their fullest potential.
I have been in the strategy development, turnaround, and strategy execution profession for twenty-five years. I worked as a direct report to top government leaders and CEOs of large companies. I have also worked as an executive for international consulting firms and for an incredibly talented and successful entrepreneur - Larry H. Miller. I have also started and run my own businesses. David Willden
Love of Learning
I am an avid learning, and I invite you to learn and explore with me. I am fascinated with questions like:
- How was Apple able produce a new tablet in an over saturated computer hardware market, and redefine how people experience the internet?
- How were Larry Page and Servey Brin with Google able to redefine search and advertising?
- How does Warren Buffett consistently make investments in certain companies wisely and receive the returns he does?
- How did Southwest Airlines successfully enter a highly competitive, unprofitable airline market, decide to "the low cost airlines" (the what) and become the most profitable airline company in the world?
- How did Jeff Bezos turn his initial ecommerce idea into the world's largest online retail company in the world? David Willden
A Smart Strategy is Key
Developing and implementing a smart strategy is paramount to success. In the most pragmatic terms, strategy is the "how" people or organizations intend to achieve their goals. David Willden
Will + Humility = Success
In today's competitive world, there really isn't much time for arrogance and internal politics. In an organization setting, developing and implementing a winning strategy needs to involve the best thinking, talents and most importantly the hearts of everyone.
In Jim Collins' most recent book How the Mighty Fall he discusses what he terms "Hubris Born of Success." Successful people and companies easily become arrogant. When they do, they lose sight of what helped them to be successful in the first place. The best leaders, on the other hand, never presume they have reached ultimate understanding of all the factors that brought them success.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins writes more about the most important traits of those companies that became great:
They found that the truly great leaders have a combination of:
We uncovered a number of key requirements and underlying variables for turning a good company into a great one. But perhaps the most intriguing—and certainly the most surprising—is the type of leadership that turns good into great.
- Professional Will: An unwavering focus on doing the right things for the long term good of their organization
- Personal Humility: an inherent ability to selflessly shun the limelight and deflect the credit for their success to others in the organization or outside factors.
