Acclaimed writer and speaker Malcolm Gladwell recently spoke to AmEx OPEN Forum about his latest book. In David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants he analyses what happens when ordinary people confront giants.
You know all about Gladwell, I’m sure. The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers – you name it, he wrote it. This blogger described him perfectly: “His great strength is finding significance and even fascination in the mundane.”
Now Gladwell has turned his attention to the psychology behind large and small businesses – the book is about more than just SMEs, but it’s what we’re focusing on in this post. Being small, Gladwell stresses, doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, the very things that appear to be disadvantages can later turn out to be the reasons that you hit the jackpot. Haven't I told you this before?
Buy the book, and read it. But just to make sure you can join the conversation at that sophisticated dinner party in the meantime, let me fill you in on three of the main findings from David and Goliath.
- SMEs: be prepared to take social risks.