More than 15 years ago the management writer Jim Collins introduced the flywheel as a metaphor for the enduring power of strong business leadership. A company doesn’t shift from “good to great” overnight, he wrote in his 2001 book of that name. Rather, it achieves excellence by “relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond.” And once that flywheel starts spinning, Collins said, it tends to keep going.
The Best-Performing CEOs in the World 2017
More than 15 years ago Jim Collins, the author of the management best seller Good to Great, introduced the flywheel as a metaphor for the enduring power of strong business leadership. A company achieves excellence, he wrote, by “relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough.” The power of momentum is evident in HBR’s 2017 ranking of the world’s best-performing CEOs—the 100 leaders who have delivered top results on both financial and ESG measures over their entire tenures, which average 17 years.
Heading this year’s list—his first time in that spot—is Pablo Isla of Inditex, the parent of several retail fashion chains including Zara and Pull&Bear. In an accompanying interview with HBR senior editor Daniel McGinn, Isla discusses some of the factors—a flat structure and an informal management style; “proximity sourcing,” or production close to home; and a continual focus on sustainability—that have propelled the company’s success.