But while we saw the possibility of exploiting these capabilities and envisioned the PC as being in the middle of the information and entertainment revolution that was taking place around us, much of the rest of the world thought that all of these developments would take place around the more familiar television set. At the same time, we aligned all of our technical developments inside the company to make the PC an even more compelling choice for this task. It takes every erg of energy in your organization to do a good job pursuing one strategic aim, especially in the face of aggressive and competent competition. There are several reasons for this. First, it is very hard to lead an organization out of the valley of death without a clear and simple strategic direction.
Demoralized organizations are unlikely to be able to deal with multiple objectives in their actions.
It will be hard enough to lead them out with a single one. And you can only outrun them if you commit yourself to a particular direction and go as fast as you can. Hedging is expensive and dilutes commitment. Second, while you're going through the valley of death, you may think you see the other side, but you can't be sure whether it's truly the other side or just a mirage. Yet you have to commit yourself to a certain course and a certain pace, otherwise you will run out of water and energy before long.