I was just thinking about what a system (a nation, a company, an organization) needs (or does not need) to be able to do to survive over the long run.
One thing that any system that expects to survive over a long period of time cannot afford is complacency. I am not talking about any idealistic thought that claims, "Excellence is a never ending journey." No misty-eyed idealism please. This is about one ground fact that is undeniable: change. If there is one thing that is certain, it is that things will change. Sooner or later, for worse or the best. If anything, information technology has just speeded up this change. Only those who keep their ears to the ground and make decisions based on facts will survive in the long run. In fact, only by doing so can a company grow.
Complacency, generally, is the child of success. Success can make a company (or a person) believe in its infallibility and hence become haughty or careless. It is just one step short of hubris and total destruction. In Hemmingway's words. you can be either lucky or exact. Luck you cannot control, but your due diligence you can. Complacency often leads to obstinacy. Following a fixed path blindly can only lead to trouble. Let blind faith be for destructive fanatics who are close to reason. In real time complacency translates to lazy thinking, lazy action and refusal to see the facts. So question everything from time to time. If there is something that somebody says and you do not like it, especially hear that. If something looks bad, it probably is. Do not accept or reject anything at face value, except assertion of a person who refuses to reason.
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