Gary Erickson and his partners had the dream deal for entrepreneurs, an agreement to sell their energy bar business for $120 million. But something didn't feel right. Instead, Erickson listened to his gut and decided to continue to run the company he loved.
"Listen to your heart" is just one lesson spun throughout Raising the Bar, Erickson's inspirational observations on how his personal adventures of climbing, traveling, and biking contribute to how he manages and sustains Clif Bar, Inc. Throughout his stories, Ericksen shows us that the many attributes that make us successful in life also make us successful in business.
Looking at teamwork, for example, Erickson encourages workers (and players) to learn to assist the team when needed, while understanding how to stick to their core competencies, be they pitching or number crunching.
He uses examples of many hardships—getting dangerously close to hypothermia, running out of money in Switzerland—to drive home the point that to get through the inevitable hard times in life and in business you must be fired up about what you do and enjoy the challenge of pulling through.— Manda Salls