Most entrepreneurs, most business people, most empire makers, play a very short game. It’s a cash grab. It’s try to get as much from as many people as quickly as possible. The true legendary leaders, the true Titans of industry are thinking about a very long game. They’re saying, yes, I want to be world-class, but I want to own my domain for the next 30 years, 40 years or 50 years. They even think like the Japanese companies, how their reputation will be considered 100 years after they’re no longer alive. That’s really a great example of playing the long game. And if you’re interested in building strong relationships of loyalty with your customers, if are interested in building a brand that endures, if you are interested in building an iconic enterprise, then being incredibly honest is really a very powerful way to operate.
