Alexandra Rusu — 'Growth is not the challenge. Growing without losing what made you successful in the first place is.'

Alexandra Rusu — strategy consultant, Sciences Po Paris, writing as 'The Growth Chick' — posts a substantive multi-paragraph review on LinkedIn arguing Incorruptible could become 'one of the most important management books published in recent years.'

“If you're going to read only one business book this year, make it Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great, by Eric Ries. Most business books are obsessed with growth. More revenue, more customers, more scale, more efficiency. Ries asks an uncomfortable question: Why do so many good companies become worse as they become bigger? The answer is rarely that leaders suddenly become incompetent or unethical. More often, organizations slowly drift away from their original purpose through thousands of seemingly rational decisions made in pursuit of short-term objectives. What I appreciated most about this book is that it reframes governance, incentives, culture and organizational design as strategic questions rather than compliance exercises. Ries argues that the structures of a company are not administrative details. They actively shape behavior, priorities, and ultimately outcomes. And this is why I believe it has the potential of becoming one of the most important management books published in recent years. As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about growth, I found the central idea both simple and profound: Growth is not the challenge. Growing without losing what made you successful in the first place is. For leaders, founders, board members, and investors, this raises a difficult but necessary question: If your company succeeds beyond your wildest expectations, what mechanisms will ensure it remains the company you intended to build? Most organizations spend a great deal of time planning for growth. Far fewer spend time designing for integrity.” — Alexandra Rusu on LinkedIn