Grow big without growing dumb

SOMEONE said there's only one plot in fiction: "Who am I?"

The drama unfolds when the protagonist takes new actions to meet new challenges, but in doing so changes so much that he ultimately betrays himself and fails, until he rediscovers his roots, and with them his purpose, his strength, himself.

It is not only true for fiction. It is true for life. It is true for business. If things are good, you are now running a business that is starting to get traction and make its mark on the world. If things are really good, you have now achieved a success and scale that mean you are ready to take on the big guys.

This is when it gets tricky: Right about now, someone will be telling you that competing in the top league requires throwing away the old playbook and start playing a completely different game; that the people and culture that took you from zero to small to medium will not be enough to make you big, and that it's time to learn from the grown-ups. It's tempting to fall for this line of thinking: There are consultants, industry specialists and management gurus that make a living ou…