Get the key ideas from
Berkshire Beyond Buffett
The Enduring Value of Values
Berkshire Beyond Buffett (2014) reveals the core values that define Berkshire Hathaway’s corporate culture as established by its founder, Warren Buffett. The book goes on to prove that the investment company’s unique view of investing and operating will ensure its success even after Buffett’s passing.
- Financial professionals or traders interested in Berkshire Hathaway’s success
- Entrepreneurs, business owners and company managers
- Fans of Warren Buffett and his investing strategies
Lawrence E. Cunningham is the Henry St. George Tucker III Research Professor of Law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. His writings have appeared in university journals and in publications such as the Financial Times, the New York Post and The New York Times. Other books include The AIG Story (with Maurice E. Greenberg) and How to Think Like Benjamin Graham and Invest Like Warren Buffett.
Go Premium and get the best of Blinkist
Upgrade to Premium now and get unlimited access to the Blinkist library. Read or listen to key insights from the world’s best nonfiction.
Upgrade to PremiumWhat is Blinkist?
The Blinkist app gives you the key ideas from a bestselling nonfiction book in just 15 minutes. Available in bitesize text and audio, the app makes it easier than ever to find time to read.
Start free trialDiscover
3,000+ top
nonfiction titles
Get unlimited access to the most important ideas in business, investing, marketing, psychology, politics, and more. Stay ahead of the curve with recommended reading lists curated by experts.
Start free trialJoin Blinkist to get the key ideas from
Get the key ideas from
Get the key ideas from
Berkshire Beyond Buffett
The Enduring Value of Values
- Read in 13 minutes
- Audio & text available
- Contains 8 key ideas
Synopsis
Berkshire Beyond Buffett (2014) reveals the core values that define Berkshire Hathaway’s corporate culture as established by its founder, Warren Buffett. The book goes on to prove that the investment company’s unique view of investing and operating will ensure its success even after Buffett’s passing.
Key idea 1 of 8
While Berkshire subsidiaries are diverse, they all share common core values.
Starting from humble roots in 1965, Berkshire Hathaway has grown to become one of the world’s largest corporations.
This company’s iconic leader, Warren Buffet, rocketed to fame in the 1990s as his savvy stock-picking gained him shares in top companies such as American Express, Coca-Cola and the Washington Post Company.
As a corporation, Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings are vast and diversified, and its influence extends over a wide array of commercial, financial and manufacturing interests.
Some of the companies it owns include: GEICO, the second most-popular car insurer in the United States; Burlington Northern Santa Fe, one of North America’s major transcontinental railroads; and MidAmerican Energy, a global energy supplier.
And it’s not just through Berkshire Hathaway’s broad engagement in many different businesses that it demonstrates its ability to diversify. The company’s subsidiaries differ widely in almost every measurable category, such as acquisition price, company size and number of employees.
With such a variety of companies under one roof, a degree of homogeneity might be expected.
Berkshire Hathaway’s subsidiaries do indeed share its own unique corporate culture, built on core values that serve to bring unity to such a wide-ranging portfolio.
One of the company’s core values is eternality. Long-term partnerships are highly valued at Berkshire Hathaway; the firm presents itself to subsidiaries, including many family businesses, as a place where they can find a permanent home.
In this way, unifying traits and commonalities are found in bonds of trust rather than in simple financial metrics. These traits when taken together create the Berkshire Hathaway culture.
Key ideas in this title
- While Berkshire subsidiaries are diverse, they all share common core values.
- Being budget conscious and keeping promises are the heart of the Berkshire Hathaway approach.
- A strong reputation and solid family ties have served Berkshire Hathaway well.
- Self-starters and entrepreneurial thinkers thrive under Berkshire’s hands-off management policy.
- Stay savvy, and keep it simple. Berkshire benefits too from its subsidiaries’ acquisition strengths.
- Berkshire has always planned with the long term in mind, but there are challenges ahead.
- Berkshire can find a valuable succession lesson in the experience of Marmon Group.
- Final summary
