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Quote image editor Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr

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“In business, what's required for short term profit and what's required for long term resilience are very often at a juxtaposition. I used to run track and field and any track runner will tell you that winning a 100 meter race requires a completely different skill set than winning a marathon. And the same skills that may win you the 100 meter race may infact cause you to lose a marathon. And the skills that may win you a marathon may cause you to lose a 100 meter race. It's not really about balance. But it's about management asking the question what race is this business in at this moment and what skills are required to win this exact race right now. And then it's about asking that question over and over and over again all of the time with every business that the company is engaged in.” — Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr

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In business, what's required for short term profit and what's required for long term resilience are very often at a juxtaposition. I used to run track and field and any track runner will tell you that winning a 100 meter race requires a completely different skill set than winning a marathon. And the same skills that may win you the 100 meter race may infact cause you to lose a marathon. And the skills that may win you a marathon may cause you to lose a 100 meter race. It's not really about balance. But it's about management asking the question what race is this business in at this moment and what skills are required to win this exact race right now. And then it's about asking that question over and over and over again all of the time with every business that the company is engaged in.
— Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr