The Ten Commandments for Business Failure by Donald R. Keough Summary
Overview of The Ten Commandments for Business Failure
Ever wonder why businesses fail? Donald Keough, Coca-Cola veteran who navigated the "New Coke" disaster, reveals ten guaranteed paths to failure. With Warren Buffett's foreword and insights from Bill Gates and Jack Welch, this contrarian masterpiece teaches success by avoiding catastrophe.
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Key takeaways
Failing Your Way to Success: Wisdom from Coca-Cola's Legendary Leader
What if the secret to success was understanding exactly how to fail? In 1985, Donald Keough stood before the world to announce one of history's greatest corporate blunders-the replacement of Coca-Cola's century-old formula with "New Coke." The public outcry was immediate and overwhelming. Yet rather than destroying the company, this spectacular failure ultimately strengthened the brand when Keough humbly admitted the mistake and brought back the original as "Coca-Cola Classic." This experience forms the backbone of Keough's business philosophy, which transformed Coca-Cola's market value from $4 billion to $145 billion during his tenure. Through his lens, we discover that understanding failure's mechanisms might be our greatest tool for achieving lasting success.
The Risk-Aversion Trap: Playing It Safe Will Kill You
The Formula Fallacy: When Yesterday's Success Becomes Today's Prison
The Executive Bubble: How Isolation Breeds Failure
The Infallibility Illusion: Why Leaders Must Embrace Being Wrong
The Ethics Edge: Why Playing Close to the Line Always Backfires
The Passion Principle: Finding Your Tap-Dance to Work
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
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"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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