Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

by Chip Heath

Throughout Walton’s career, he kept his eyes out for good ideas. He once said that “most everything I’ve done I’ve copied from someone else.” In the early days of discount store chains, he crisscrossed the country in search of insights, visiting discounters ranging from Spartan and Mammoth Mart in the Northeast to FedMart in California. Through conversations with one of FedMart’s leaders, Walton clarified his thinking on distribution, which would eventually become a defining strength of Walmart. And he admired the merchandise mix and displays in Kmart, founded in Garden City, Michigan, by S. S. Kresge. “I’ll bet I’ve been in more Kmarts than anybody,” Walton said. Again and again in his career, Walton found clever solutions by asking himself, “Who else is struggling with a similar problem, and what can I learn from them?”