Great article in this week’s Newsweek by Yale dean Dr. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld recapping the struggle a technology innovator has in ensuring his or her vision lives on after he/she leaves the scene. Key quote:

How do you maintain the DNA that the founders have imprinted into the business? … Time and again, they share a disdain for any distraction about their own mortality. Like monarchs, they often believe they can and should reign as long as they live.

One nit: While this tale of hits and misses among ground-breaking tech companies (Apple, Digital Equipment Corp., IBM, Polaroid) makes for a fascinating trip back through time, Dr. Sonnenfeld doesn’t save much discussion on how to properly prepare your own bench for someday manning the ship.