Review: Left on Red

Innovators and entrepreneurs think differently and move fast, able to make a left on red and dodge the oncoming traffic. In our globalized world, business is war and only the strongest survive is the claim of Bill Glynn's Left on Red: How to Ignite, Leverage, and Build Visionary Organizations. Because only a scarce few can mobilize a business idea into a Google, the fight of getting to the top will leave most wounded along the way.

With candid reality of what it takes to conquer the tech markets, Glynn lays out his venture capital experience through analogies of military history and primal instincts. It's not for the weak-hearted and Glynn assumes the game isn't for everyone. In fact, he may be intentionally scaring some away, especially with his idea about how leaders are born.

"Let's take a look at the laws of leadership and the multitude of books you can buy like Who Moved My Cheese? and The One Minute Manager among many others, and place them into a pile of rubbish. My theory is that if you have to read about how to be a leader you should go buy some Huggies Pull-Ups."

Glynn compares Left on Red thinkers to the commandos in an army, those able to sneak behind enemy walls in the middle of the night and sever the lifeline of the competition. They single-handedly change the fate of the business landscape. In contrast, but also vitally important, are the infantry who follow the commando and stabilize and manage the landscape. The infantry are followed by the police, who maintain the future operations. In business, Glynn points out that you must know who you are and also how to work with all three.

Commandos, or innovators, breath predictions about the future that will dynamically change the way we think, interact, and communicate. Yet, some things never change. Glynn's future is filled with interactive TV and advertising, life-like virtual worlds, and nano-technology breakthroughs allowing humans to think and communicate as machines do in a flawlessly meshed network. Yet, there is an important distinction between the medium and the content. The medium will change -i.e. the progression of listening to music on an 8-track then to a Walkman to a CD to an iPod - but at the end of the day, the demand for the content keeps the production of music alive. Predicting how the mediums change and how technological business models evolve dominate Left on Red thinking.

Beyond the nascent ideas propelling revolutionary change is getting to market quickly. Glynn's key advice is centered around rapidity and he antagonizes the 'patience is a virtue' mantra. Get to market as quickly as possible with as much force as possible lest your competition will beat you. Speed is the name of the game. Knowing your competition and anticipating your vulnerabilities is also key, so you'd betting have an all-star team, the best money can buy.

Easier said than done? It helps if you know people. Glynn's suggestion: keep your Rolodex filled, constantly massage your professional and social network, and become an individual who people value. Prime examples are what he calls Superconnectors. They are people in the shadows that connect people and drive the catalyst for future deals. They know people from all walks of life who can help others.

The core of Left on Red thinking is innovation, and Glynn notes that the majority of people don't have the will or capability which is required to produce the next Google. Too plugged into consumerism, the status-quo, against change, and thinking big, the masses have difficulty seeing above their comfortable stability. It's the rare combination of brilliance and determination that make entrepreneurs successful. That so, Left on Red thinking should be left for the untamed lion poised to take over the Serengeti watering hole.

Simplicity Rules

- From Stuff That Happens