The article “How to Manage Through Chaos” by Collins and Hansen is a summary of the findings they made after studying the behaviors and habits of successful companies and their leaders. The companies that were analyzed had survived uncertain financial, social and political environments. These companies were christened 10Xers, and their leaders had a lot to do with their success. Companies are faced with times of boom and decline of the economy. Some of the companies make the most of favorable environments by expanding to new territories or coming up with new products. However, the successful ones are neither tempted by favorable periods nor discouraged by difficult times.
The article stresses on the 20-Mile March philosophy that has been applied by the leaders of the successful companies. The 20-Mile March philosophy entails setting growth objectives that must be achieved by the organization periodically. For every financial year, the company must accomplish that growth. This objective is achievable both in times of economic boom and also during the recess periods. The agreed-on metric is not surpassed even if the market conditions make it possible. In the same manner, it must be achieved even when the market conditions are dire. This consistency serves to save on the resources of the company and the energy of the workers. Refusing to stretch thin the resources of a company during the good times ensures that it has enough to get through the hard times. The overall lesson of this article is the need to adopt consistency running a company. The consistency is in terms of expectations, goals, and activities of the leaders and workers of an organization.