许多重要公司近期经历了“重振”阶段，表现为新上任的CEO推动企业回归早期成功的核心价值。例如，耐克的埃利奥特·希尔和星巴克的布赖恩·尼科尔都在2024年10月上任后，提出应回归公司最初的使命——专注于运动员或重新成为人们聚集的“第三空间”。这一趋势具有统计普遍性，被耶鲁管理学院的Jon Iwata称为“重新创始”，即在众多看似理性的扩张决策累积下，企业很容易偏离主营。

重振策略并不总是由创始人实施，比如波音和乐高等公司近期都是由非创始人执行重振，努力恢复品牌独特优势。以苹果为例，史蒂夫·乔布斯1997年回归时锐减产品线，重拾基础。统计上，企业不可停滞不前，成长压力促使高管持续调整核心与创新之间的平衡，甚至建议内部晋升候选人提交揭示公司短板的“激进信”促进战略审视。

平衡成长与核心优势的关键在于准确定义企业本质。过于依赖具体产品（如Netflix由1997至2023共发出52亿张DVD但并不拘泥于DVD载体），或选择空洞的企业宗旨都不可取。有效的定义需聚焦企业独特且持久的能力与满足的长期需求。如迪士尼凭借打造沉浸式世界满足人们对逃避现实的需求。最终，那些经常经历偏离和重回本源的公司，为管理者提示：明确与坚持企业独特优势，是重大决策的关键参照。

Many leading firms have recently undergone “refounding” phases, driven by new CEOs who push a return to core values that first made their companies successful. For instance, Nike’s Elliott Hill and Starbucks’ Brian Niccol, both starting in October 2024, advocated reemphasizing each company’s original mission—focusing on athletes or restoring Starbucks as a “third place.” This trend is statistically common, with Jon Iwata of Yale School of Management calling it “refounding,” noting that cumulative, rational decisions to expand can easily cause firms to drift from their main business.

Refounding strategies are not always led by founders; recent examples at Boeing and Lego saw non-founders aiming to restore unique brand strengths. Apple’s Steve Jobs, upon returning in 1997, sharply reduced the product range to refocus on essentials. Statistically, companies cannot afford inertia, as unceasing growth pressures force executives to keep recalibrating between core activities and innovation, with some advisers even recommending aspirant leaders write “activist” letters highlighting company weaknesses to spur strategic self-examination.

The central challenge is to grow while staying true to a firm’s essence. This requires clearly articulating a company’s core character, avoiding definitions tied too closely to specific products (e.g., Netflix shipped 5.2bn DVDs from 1997–2023 but was not DVD-dependent) or meaningless mission statements. An effective definition combines a company’s unique, enduring capability with the long-term needs it fulfills—as Disney does, meeting demand for escapism through creating immersive worlds. Ultimately, the frequent cycles of drift and refounding remind leaders that codifying and adhering to unique organizational strengths remains a crucial guidepost for major decisions.