Conquest destroys the conqueror.
The first of Microsoft’s “12 Secrets of Microsoft Management” is possibly the worst management principle in history. It reveals an Industrial Age scarcity view of the world that none of us should emulate.
Number one in Microsoft’s list of management secrets:
Total World Domination – Microsoft is going after 100% of every market that it is in. Every employee at Microsoft has the same aim: to give Microsoft 100% market share in every market that it is involved in – Total World Domination.”
A couple other of their 12 “secrets”:
- Hire type A people who are driven by conquest…
- Go after a market with the view to dominate it because owning a strategic market gives you a cash cow.
You either live in a world of abundance or a world of scarcity, and whichever one you choose affects every decision you make.
Scarcity companies like Microsoft believe “There’s only so much to go around, and I better get mine before the next guy gets it.”
Abundance companies believe “If I help enough others be successful, I’ll get to my goals, too.
Scarcity companies focus on creating cash cows. Abundance companies focus on adding meaning and significance to the world around them.
Scarcity companies don’t focus on getting better; they focus on crushing others. In 1997 Microsoft’s plan to grow their education division was focused on crushing Novell, not getting better (I saw the plan and received a copy.)
Abundance companies figure out how to make their entire industry better because they realize how much it will help them, too.
Scarcity companies like Microsoft only dominate in the short term, but never win in the long term. They are doomed to the ash heap of misguided and mis-managed companies. Conquest eventually destroys the conqueror.
How do you approach business – from a world of abundance or a world of scarcity? Choose one – it will affect every decision you make.
