Centennials

Reviews

Centennials is an entertaining and thought-provoking exploration of a central idea of leadership; how to effectively balance stability with innovation and change. The core principles of this book have added positively to my work since I first came across Alex and his research. The concepts captured within Centennials are brought to life with simple clarity and real world engaging stories and I would recommend any leader add this to their library. Professor Hill brings his deep knowledge of organisational structures and a brilliantly perceptive eye to a number of the leading organisations in the UK and beyond, organisations that are leaders in their area and have sustained that success over many years - in some cases, for centuries. The result is a remarkable book that is full of satisfying insights, from the elegant (stable core, disruptive edge) to the unfashionable (get better, not bigger) to the surprising (make time for random). Centennials has made me see an organisation that I thought I knew very well with fresh eyes. I enjoyed Centennials a great deal. I believe Alex has captured some simple principles that can allow individuals, teams, organisations and beyond to navigate complexity in a manner which brings purpose, stability and evolution. It's a text I will keep returning to! Centennials brilliantly draws on over a decade's worth of insight to capture many of the vital elements that distinguish sustainable success. Anyone looking for an engaging way to stimulate deep reflection in order to create purposeful, long-term success should read this book. If you want your organisation to be a success for the next 100 years and beyond I suggest you read this. An instant classic. If you want to know why some businesses succeed beyond expectation and others incomprehensibly fail, the answer is here. Every CEO should be given a copy with their morning coffee. Most people think in straight lines. A leads to B. Alex thinks sideways, and comes up with intuitions few will spot, but which are obvious and readily applicable. That is what makes this book both useful, and a joy to read. Brilliantly clear, concise and readable. Both a window into centennial organisations and an incredibly helpful strategic toolkit for sustaining and developing them. If you want to learn what it takes to achieve truly sustainable success in an organisation, then this is a book for you. The examples of organisations which have stood the test of time and, frankly, those which haven't, are illuminating because of the fundamental features which Alex has uncovered. This book will be of value to not just those who are contemplating setting up a new venture, but also to those who are temporary custodians of existing great organisations and whose ultimate goal must surely be to add value. Expand reviews