My friend Dr. Robert Cox told me that almost every institution, organization, or movement eventually goes through three stages. They start out as risk-takers—bold, daring, adventuresome, and with a sense of mission. As they grow older, larger, and more prosperous, they become satisfied with what they have achieved and become caretakers. They become more concerned about security and holding onto what they’ve got than about new conquest. In the final stage, they are ready for the undertakers. They’re dull, listless, and dead, even though they may continue to exist for years.
Go from risk-takers to caretakers to the undertakers—that’s the history of most movements and organizations. George Bernard Shaw said that the tombstone of most men ought to read,...