Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning

Don't let success put your company on the road to ruin

In Seduced by Success, Robert J. Herbold, the former Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, shows you how to avoid the nine traps of success-the “legacy practices” that almost felled such giants as General Motors, Kodak and Sony. Herbold, a 26-year-veteran of Procter & Gamble who lived through each trap, gives you proven tactics for preventing arrogance, bloat, and neglect while capitalizing on your accomplishments, sustaining your momentum, and retaining your position in the marketplace.

The nine traps every successful organization must avoid are


Neglect: Sticking with Yesterday's Business Model

Pride: Allowing Your Products to Become Outdated

Boredom: Clinging to Your Once-Successful Branding

Complexity: Ignoring Your Business Processes

Bloat: Rationalizing Your Loss of Speed and Agility

Mediocrity: Letting Your Star Employees Languish

Lethargy: Getting Lulled into a Culture of Comfort

Timidity: Not Confronting Turf Wars and Obstructionists

Confusion: Unwittingly Conducting Schizophrenic Communications




These mistakes cut your business legs off at the knees, destroying your ability to recognize and meet the need for change. Herbold shows you how to avoid these landmines by
Continually revitalizing your brands and products

Demanding new approaches to “proven” practices

Maintaining speed and agility through strong leadership

Making sure employees are empowered to achieve and not handicapped by bureaucracy

Using an exciting new product to overhaul your culture




For each success trap, Herbold provides illuminating examples of top companies that were seduced by their success-as well as others that managed to maintain and even broaden their achievements. Seduced by Success is the best way to ensure your company sustains its success for the long term.