Everything on Strategic Asset Management

Trustworthiness is an underrated financial asset that accumulates through consistent mission adherence and is destroyed by short-term cost-cutting or price gouging.

Impact: Companies prioritizing trust over immediate margins build durable competitive moats that enhance customer loyalty and reduce churn.

— from Mission-Controlled Companies: Defending Purpose Against Shareholder Primacy · HBR IdeaCast· May 26, 2026

Trustworthiness functions as a high-value financial asset that stockpiles over time but requires structural protection against extractive pressures. Success increases vulnerability to actors seeking to borrow against or steal this asset.

Impact: Implementing "locks" on trust assets, such as nonprofit ownership, preserves long-term value and prevents predatory takeovers.

— from Eric Ries: Building Incorruptible Businesses Beyond Shareholder Primacy · Masters of Scale· May 26, 2026