Short-term vs Long-term - The I.G.Y. Foundation

Patience is a product of confidence and trust

In our opinion, (reasoned) confidence, (deserved/earned) trust and (resultant) patience is what seems to be lacking in so many business, charity and political ecosystems. The table above contains a list of short-term characteristics and their long-term alternatives.

better products lead to happy customers, lead to more cash flow, to better products, to more customers and so on, with all parties enjoying and benefitting from a growing ecosystem of win-win relationships. It’s hard to do and takes patience, and a certain orientation and discipline but, when it works, it is a beautiful (and very profitable) model.

It seems to Zak and me that for most companies to thrive over the long-term, one constituency must be looked after before all others and, contrary to what some on Wall Street or in Westminster may suggest, that constituency is the customer.