What will I learn about: balance short-term execution with long-term vision, breaking the corporate habit of constantly lurching from one immediate target to the next?

Learn how to balance short-term execution with long-term vision, breaking the corporate habit of constantly lurching from one immediate target to the next.

What will I learn about: why asking tough, specific questions instead of passively accepting structured presentations builds a powerful culture of analytical rigor and attention to detail?

Discover why asking tough, specific questions instead of passively accepting structured presentations builds a powerful culture of analytical rigor and attention to detail.

What will I learn about: how to eliminate lazy thinking in your organization by requiring data-backed arguments and soliciting honest opinions from junior employees first?

Find out how to eliminate lazy thinking in your organization by requiring data-backed arguments and soliciting honest opinions from junior employees first.

What will I learn about: the art of creating a dynamic strategic plan that connects daily operations with future goals, ensuring your entire team is effectively rowing in the same direction?

Master the art of creating a dynamic strategic plan that connects daily operations with future goals, ensuring your entire team is effectively rowing in the same direction.

What will I learn about: why tackling expensive, inherited legacy issues head-on rather than kicking them down the road will ultimately save your company money and restore vital goodwill?

Understand why tackling expensive, inherited legacy issues head-on rather than kicking them down the road will ultimately save your company money and restore vital goodwill.

Winning Now, Winning Later

How Companies Can Succeed in the Short Term While Investing for the Long Term

David M. Cote

★ 4.3 / 5(49 ratings)

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Categories:

Management & Leadership

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why most leaders believe they must choose between hitting quarterly targets and investing in long-term growth—and what if that choice is actually a myth?
💡What’s the secret to transforming a struggling multinational into a powerhouse by focusing on two seemingly contradictory goals at once?
💡What if you could master the specific leadership framework that allows you to win today’s battles while building an unshakeable foundation for the future?

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Key Takeaways from Winning Now, Winning Later

✓Learn how to balance short-term execution with long-term vision, breaking the corporate habit of constantly lurching from one immediate target to the next.
✓Discover why asking tough, specific questions instead of passively accepting structured presentations builds a powerful culture of analytical rigor and attention to detail.
✓Find out how to eliminate lazy thinking in your organization by requiring data-backed arguments and soliciting honest opinions from junior employees first.
✓Master the art of creating a dynamic strategic plan that connects daily operations with future goals, ensuring your entire team is effectively rowing in the same direction.
✓Understand why tackling expensive, inherited legacy issues head-on rather than kicking them down the road will ultimately save your company money and restore vital goodwill.

Learning Tools

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Mind Map

Winning Now, Winning Later

Analytical Rigor+

Strategic Planning+

Legacy Issues+

Process Improvement+

Company Culture+

Lean Leadership+

Customer Experience & R&D+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What tactic did David Cote use in meetings to ensure he heard genuine ideas rather than employees just echoing management?

A. He required all ideas to be submitted anonymously before the meeting.
B. He asked the most junior employees to share their opinions first.
C. He banned managers from attending brainstorming sessions.
D. He implemented a strict time limit for presentations.

Question 2 of 8

When Cote first took over at Honeywell, why was he forced to lower the projected earnings per share (EPS) by 20 percent?

A. A sudden global recession severely impacted the aerospace supply chain.
B. He wanted to artificially lower expectations to easily beat them the next quarter.
C. Divisions had been using short-term accounting tricks to meet unrealistic financial targets.
D. The company had to pay a massive fine for environmental legacy issues.

Question 3 of 8

How does the book suggest a new leader should handle 'legacy issues' caused by previous management?

A. Address them head-on, as proactively solving them builds goodwill and prevents larger future costs.
B. Delegate them entirely to external consultants to maintain internal employee morale.
C. Delay dealing with them until the company has achieved its short-term financial targets.
D. Obscure the issues from investors to prevent sudden drops in the company's stock price.

Question 4 of 8

Why did Cote intentionally take three years to implement the Honeywell Operating Systems (HOS) in the initial 30 factories?

A. He lacked the budget to roll out the system to all factories simultaneously.
B. He wanted to avoid the 'flavor of the month' perception and ensure permanent, steady improvements.
C. The system required extensive approval from international labor unions.
D. He was waiting for the software developers to finish building the digital infrastructure.

Question 5 of 8

What was a key strategy Cote used to unify the company culture after Honeywell's merger with AlliedSignal?

A. He immediately fired the executive team of AlliedSignal to establish dominance.
B. He rebranded the entire company under a completely new, neutral name.
C. He defined 12 core behaviors and mandated that divisions purchase parts from internal subsidiaries whenever possible.
D. He kept the two companies operating as entirely separate entities to preserve their unique workflows.

Question 6 of 8

How did Cote approach building a leaner leadership corps at Honeywell without making immediate, drastic cuts?

A. He implemented a mandatory retirement age for all senior executives.
B. He required all managers to re-interview for their jobs every two years.
C. He froze all leadership salaries until the company's market cap doubled.
D. He analyzed whether an outgoing leader's position actually needed to be replaced or if the responsibilities could be split.

Question 7 of 8

What did Cote discover when he investigated why glowing internal metrics for on-time delivery didn't match actual customer satisfaction?

A. Customers were intentionally giving bad reviews to negotiate lower prices.
B. Plant managers were gaming the metrics by not counting delays caused by sales entry errors.
C. The software tracking the deliveries had a glitch that artificially inflated the scores.
D. Competitors were running smear campaigns to damage Honeywell's reputation.

Question 8 of 8

How did Cote manage to significantly boost Honeywell's Research and Development (R&D) capabilities while maintaining cost efficiency?

A. He completely outsourced all R&D to third-party tech startups.
B. He moved a significant amount of engineering and tech research to developing countries.
C. He only invested in projects that could be brought to market in under six months.
D. He cut the customer service budget to reallocate funds to the R&D department.

Winning Now, Winning Later — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Ask hard questions to build a culture of analytical rigor and attention to detail.
3Develop a strategic plan aligned with your long-term goals, and ensure that everyone clearly understands it.
4Don’t push legacy problems down the road — resolving them earns goodwill and saves you significant money in the long run.
5Process improvements matter, but they should not be rushed.
6Define your company culture and leverage it to steer your processes.
7Use efficient processes and rigorous performance reviews to build a lean yet powerful leadership team.
8Stable growth in both the short and long term comes from great customer experiences and sustained R&D investment.

Winning Now, Winning Later Summary & Overview

Winning Now, Winning Later (2020) shows the path to lasting business success. Drawing from David Cote’s experience turning around a Fortune 500 multinational, it explains that choosing between short-term and long-term success is a false choice – a successful business can and must operate with both in mind.

Who Should Listen to Winning Now, Winning Later?

Business leaders of leaders
Managers looking to set a culture
Process optimizers

About the Author: David M. Cote

David Cote was the chairman and CEO of the industrial giant Honeywell for over 16 years. During his tenure, he grew the company’s market capitalization from around $20 billion to nearly $120 billion, delivering returns of 800 percent and beating the S&P by nearly two and a half times. Currently, he’s executive chairman of Vertiv Holdings Co, a global data center products and services provider. He’s a member of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group and on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Conference of Montreal.

Winning Now, Winning Later

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Winning Now, Winning Later — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Winning Now, Winning Later

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Winning Now, Winning Later — Full Chapter Overview

Winning Now, Winning Later Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Winning Now, Winning Later?

About the Author: David M. Cote

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