The Orange Code
By Jon Jensen
January 15, 2009
I’ve been reading the new book The Orange Code, the story of ING Direct by Arkadi Kuhlmann and Bruce Philp. Here are a few passages I liked from what I read today:
The commitment to constantly learn is the only fair way to bring everyone in the company under the same umbrella. It is a leveler. (p. 213)
… [W]e’ve got to earn it each day, and we need to feel that we have new challenges that can make us or break us every day. … Each day’s work will last only as long as it’s relevant. … [W]e did okay in each of the last seven years, but we are only ever as good as our last year, our last day, our last transaction. We still have a lot to do, since our competition is not resting. (pp. 208–209)
Trust and faith not only are built over time, but they actually need the passage of time to validate them. (p. 197)
Contributing is a privilege earned, not a right. And there are, indeed, bad ideas, most of which are answers to questions the contributors didn’t really understand in the first place. There is a reason why some of the world’s finest jazz musicians were classically trained: You have to understand the rules before you can intelligently improvise on them. (p. 195)
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