Learning and the company's lifecycle.

It's always been said that a 4-year-old kid learns easier and faster that a 40-year-old grown-up. But is that a scientific truth, or just the result of lacking some exercise?

From the minute we are born we spend the entire life learning, or at least we should if we want to progress in our skills, knowledge and values. But then, the pace and efficiency this occurs changes from case to case. Of course, at the end this defines how we evolve.

And the most curious is that the same happens in the lifetime of any organization.

In business schools is taught that companies have the same life-cycle as people, with the same phases (Birth, Growth, Maturity, Decline, Death). But it's not that common to hear that, also like humans, an organization goes through different phases of learning.

Actually it seems sound to state that the attitude on learning might make the difference on how well the company evolves through it's life-cycle phases and if, finally, it ends up dying or being born again.

At the end it's coming back to the same principle as usual: Attitude. In this case expressed as humility, motivation, attention, questioning and inquisitiveness.



One of the first premises to learn something is always humility. Without the humility of admitting that we still need to learn any effort is useless. Someone (or some company) who believes to know enough will find it very hard to find the willingness to learn new things.

That is why children learn faster an easier than adults, their still don't have all the arrangements from education and pride that make our learning slower and harder. What makes us a sponge when we are kids is our undiluted eagerness to explore.

There are many young and old organizations that didn't give learning, examination and change the importance they deserve. They sacrificed them for execution, because time was everything.

And the point is that learning is the cornerstone for adaptation and agility. So, since it's true that time is everything, any company should develop during it's first years the procedures and models to learn fast and deep.

Keeping always an flexible attitude and being open to questioning shouldn't be fashion terms limited being used on conventions and the Values Statement of the company (as Flat Hierarchy is). They should be the foundations of any company that wants to survive these days.

Brandin-G Bibles

For sure there are many great books about brands, branding and marketing focused on brand strategy. But since my intention here is not covering all the knowledge, but remark remarkable spots, I set out to present two books which deserve to be read by anyone interested in Branding.
“What is Branding?” by Matthew Healey, and “Wally Olins. On B®and” by, of course, Wally Olins. They are both quite different but truly interesting and educational.

Written as a story rather than a manual, Wally Olins. On Brand (of which I have the Spanish edition “B®and. Las marcas según Wally Olins”) has a critical and accurate perspective of the changing world of branding. It analyzes several parts of branding trying to give a historical vision from its origins to its possible future. Olins always keeps the personal point of view (including a touch of self-selling) that is conspicuous for not being afraid of change or nostalgic of yesteryear's branding that he helped to create.

From Wally Olins. On Brand (Olins, W. Oxfordshire, 2003): "For each company developing a global and unique corporate brand, there's another doing exactly the opposite".


On my other hand, in English this one, there is What is Branding? . It is sharply organized by topics, and completely filled of beautiful pictures and interesting evidences of all the arguments that Healy puts forward.
The book deals with the challenges when “practicing” branding, all the details to take into account when creating a brand, and a handful of examples of what to do and what not to do.

From What is Branding? (Healey, M. New York, 2008): “Great brands never change, and change constantly”.


The main point that both books share is that, for any communication (not just from business -also from nonprofit societies-, not just from organizations -also from countries-, not even just from groups -also from individuals-) brands and, therefore, branding are key elements.

Congratulations to both authors, their work may appear again in BRANDIN-G