In a survey by Liquid Agency (formerly Neutron) and Stanford University, 1500 business leaders were asked to rank their top ten biggest problems. Their number-one problem? “Balancing long-term goals with short-term demands.” In large corporations, the phrase “short-term demands” is code for “shareholder demands.”

1. Steal this idea
Organic Drivetrain
By marty neumeier

2. In a survey by Liquid Agency (formerly Neutron) and Stanford University,
1500 business leaders were asked to rank their top ten biggest problems.
Their number-one problem? “Balancing long-term goals with short-term
demands.” In large corporations, the phrase “short-term demands” is code
for “shareholder demands.”
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier

3. The solution to this conundrum is sustainable earnings. A CEO who can
deliver solid shareholder returns quarter after quarter can afford the luxury of
pursuing a long-term vision.
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier

4. When you ask any CEO what keeps him or her up at night, the answer is
usually shareholder value.
VALUE
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier

5. And when you ask what drives shareholder value, the answer is usually
earnings growth.
GROWTH
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier
VALUE

6. But what drives earnings growth? Innovation, of course!
Okay, but what drives innovation?
INNOVATION
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier
GROWTH
VALUE

7. Working backwards, the engine for non-stop innovation is company culture.
It takes a culture of innovation to turn innovation into a core competency,
so that successful new businesses, products, and services, are more than a
matter of chance. But what drives culture?
CULTURE
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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INNOVATION
Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier
GROWTH
VALUE

8. The answer here is company vision.
CULTURE
VISION
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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INNOVATION
Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier
GROWTH
VALUE

9. Without a bold, beguiling vision, there’s no rallying point for culture.
These links represent a drivetrain for organic growth. If you want sustainable
earnings at the back end, you need to invest in the links at the front end—vision,
culture, and innovation. These are the investments that can generate profits
year after year, not just quarter after quarter.
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier

10. CULTURE
VISION
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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INNOVATION
Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier
GROWTH
VALUE

11. Find more Marty Neumeier ideas to steal at
liquidagency.com/blog
LIQUIDAGENCY.COM
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Source: the designful compan y by Mart y Neumeier