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October 21 - November 8, 2022
perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away,
If you just ask people for help—if you just admit that you don’t know something—they will fall all over themselves trying to help.
Having the philosophies in writing—as well as the shared cultural experience of the classes—played a critical role in the turnaround.
“Make the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
The first precept of industrial design is that the function of an object should determine its design and materials.
Remember, I’m the kid who couldn’t play competitive games. I’d much rather design and sell products so good and unique that they have no competition.
The Patagonia label is evocative and valued in the marketplace. But we don’t use it as a crutch for mediocre design. A product independent of the label should stand on its own merits and not rely on the label to carry it. The product must be intrinsically valuable in its own right. A Patagonia product should be identifiable even from a distance by the quality of workmanship and attention to detail. The Zen master would say a true Patagonia product doesn’t need any label.
like the Zen approach to archery or anything else, you identify the goal and then forget about it and concentrate on the process.
Telling the Patagonia story and educating the Patagonia customer on layering systems, on environmental issues, and on the business itself are as much the catalog’s mission as is selling the products.
Our branding efforts are simple: tell people who we are. We don’t have to create a fictional character like the Marlboro Man or a fake responsible caring campaign like Chevron’s “we agree” advertising. Writing fiction is so much more difficult than nonfiction. Fiction requires creativity and imagination. Nonfiction deals with simple truths.
Our charter is to inspire and educate rather than to promote.
We are a product-driven company. That means the product comes first and the company exists to create and support our products. This is different from a distribution company whose primary concern may be service rather than product.
We never wanted to be a big company. We want to be the best company, and it’s easier to try to be the best small company than the best big company.
Our intent is to remain a closely held private company, so we can continue to focus on our bottom line: doing good.
The best managers are never at their desks yet can be easily found and approached by everyone reporting to them.
SEAL team soldiers have a leader but are really self-managed as they have all bought into the mission, know what their individual job is, and know the others’ jobs as well. If the leader is disabled, any of the others can take over.
It is like the difference between a cook and a chef. They both cook food, but the chef creates recipes and manages a kitchen while the cook only follows the recipes.
Leaders take risks, have long-term vision, create the strategic plans, and instigate change.
They enjoy working with their hands. The older ones had cars that they worked on in high school (when you could still work on your own car) or had wood shops in their garages where they made furniture. When a faucet needed a washer or a door wouldn’t close properly, they did it themselves. When there’s a problem of any kind, these people have the confidence to think it through and solve it themselves instead of looking for a repairman or consultant.
Our company has always done its best work whenever we’ve had a crisis.
When there is no crisis, the wise leader or CEO will invent one. Not by crying wolf but by challenging the employees with change.
Evil always wins if we do nothing.
We are the people we have been waiting for.
Our success and longevity lie in our ability to change quickly. Continuous change and innovation require maintaining a sense of urgency—a
The more you know, the less you need.
