The Theory of “Good Money/Bad Money” basically states that one currency drives the other currency out of the economy. This basic concept when applied to Professor Bhide’s “Origen & Evolution of New Business states that 93% of all companies replaced their beginning strategy because it was not viable and sustainable and replaced it with an emerging strategy that brought success. Another truth about this basic explanation is the competing issues of Growth versus Profit. Iridium, a failed $6 billion investment(sold for $25 million) into satellite phone technology and Honda a successful company illustrates what happens when growth and profits are either misaligned or aligned properly.

So what does all of this business talk teach us about leadership in 2015? Professor Christensen at Harvard writes extensively about how your family and close friends are going to be the most important sources of happiness in your life. However, you must be careful. When it seems that everything is going well, you might be lulled into believing that you can place your investment of these cherished relationships on the back burner. That would be a huge mistake! By the time that problems arise in these two relational arenas it is too late to repair the problem. Paradoxically speaking, the time when it is most important to invest in building strong families and close friendships is when it appears at the surface as if it’s not necessary.

Most people have a deliberate strategy of creating deep loved-filled relationships with members of our family and friends. In reality we invest in a strategy for our lives that we would never aspire to. We end up with shallow friendships with many but deep friendships with none.

Each of us can point to one or two friendships we’ve unintentionally neglected when life got busy. We want to believe that the bonds of friendship are strong enough to endure such neglect, but that is seldom the case, Our closest friends  will stay the course with us only so long before the choose to invest their time somewhere else. If they do – IT IS OUR LOSS!

Plant shade trees before they are needed!