Number of words – 137

In the 1800s, the railroads were the biggest companies in the country. Having achieved such monumental success, even having changed the landscape of America, remembering why stopped being important to them. Instead they became obsessed with what they did – they were in the railroad business. This narrowing of perspective influenced the decision making, they invested all the money in tracks and cross-ties and engines. But in the beginning of the 20th century, a new technology was introduced, the airplane. And all those big railroad companies eventually went out of business. What if they had defined themselves as being in the mass transportation business? Perhaps their behaviour would have been different. Perhaps they would have seen opportunities that they otherwise missed. Perhaps they would own all the airlines today.

Excerpted from ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek