--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To escape the curse of commoditization, a…" description: "\"To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.\" — Ga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png" --- # To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to… ![“To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.” quote by Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png) > “To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.” [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Companies must innovate radically to avoid becoming ordinary, requiring staff who act creatively and energetically. **In simple terms:** Innovation needs proactive, inventive, zealous employees. Key Takeaway Foster a culture of bold, forward‑thinking action. Themes innovation leadership competition culture Mood determined optimistic serious Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - product development - strategic planning - team building - change management Key Concepts strategic differentiation employee empowerment market disruption Questions to Reflect On - How can you sustain employee zeal over time? - What structures support continuous innovation? A Different Perspective Even with proactive staff, market forces can still erode advantage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Commoditization Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commoditization-company-2577998/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Company Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company-game-2578001/) [Curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curse/) [Employees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employees/) [Employees Proactive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employees-proactive-2578000/) [Escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escape/) [Game Changer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-changer/) [Inventive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventive/) [Proactive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proactive/) [Requires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requires/) [Requires Employees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requires-employees-2578003/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Zealous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zealous/) ## Related quotes > [We were very kooky and inventive, and it didn't take long for my parents to realize we should all be auditioning for things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-williams/we-were-very-kooky-and-inventive-and-it-didn-t-take-long-for-my/) [Ashley Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-williams/) > [There's something about living in the country that I think makes you inventive, because nature is full of miracles and wonder and surprises, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/there-s-something-about-living-in-the-country-that-i-think-makes-you/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [It's extraordinary how inventive one can be with ethanol right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-yergin/it-s-extraordinary-how-inventive-one-can-be-with-ethanol-right-now/) [Daniel Yergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-yergin/) > [There are all sorts of inventive ways to get your film out there: sometimes via the Internet, sometimes via viral screenings in people's living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/there-are-all-sorts-of-inventive-ways-to-get-your-film-out-there/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [“One must Judge Patents of Public Funded Institutions in India by their Inventive Contribution, not financial or commercial value they have generated. Our academicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalyan-c-kankanala/one-must-judge-patents-of-public-funded-institutions-in-india-by/) [Kalyan C. Kankanala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalyan-c-kankanala/) > [“Creative people neither like to be possessive nor like to be possessed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/creative-people-neither-like-to-be-possessive-nor-like-to-be-possessed/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [It does seem to produce more creative results when there are limitations. It's like in wartime with rations - people became more inventive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/it-does-seem-to-produce-more-creative-results-when-there-are/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [Some of the best inventive moments are born out of 'wrong thinking'. Most people start with the right way so they all follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dyson/some-of-the-best-inventive-moments-are-born-out-of-wrong-thinking/) [James Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dyson/) > [Henry Miller is a famous writer whose work has fallen out of fashion, but I strongly recommend that readers who don't know his work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/henry-miller-is-a-famous-writer-whose-work-has-fallen-out-of-fashion/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I adored 'Drop the Dead Donkey.' That show defined Channel 4 at the time; it was so inventive and off the leash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/i-adored-drop-the-dead-donkey-that-show-defined-channel-4-at-the-time/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [...one of the most inventive forms of creative capitalism involves someone we all know very well. A few years ago, I was sitting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/one-of-the-most-inventive-forms-of-creative-capitalism-involves/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [For Stripe, being inventive is just about applying the right solutions from other areas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collison/for-stripe-being-inventive-is-just-about-applying-the-right-solutions/) [John Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collison/) > [It seems to me that most good protagonists are both clever and resourceful. They are intelligent and can fix things, both little and big.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-woodward/it-seems-to-me-that-most-good-protagonists-are-both-clever-and/) [Keren Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-woodward/) > [To me, any kind of filmmaking that's reactive is not going to be as good as something more inventive and original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/to-me-any-kind-of-filmmaking-that-s-reactive-is-not-going-to-be-as/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [If you want to be inventive, you have to be willing to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-want-to-be-inventive-you-have-to-be-willing-to-fail/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) ## More by Gary Hamel > [As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/as-human-beings-we-are-the-only-organisms-that-create-for-the-sheer/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Obviously, you don't have to be religious to be moral, and beastly people are sometimes religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/obviously-you-don-t-have-to-be-religious-to-be-moral-and-beastly/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Most of us do more than subsist. From the vantage point of our ancestors, we live lives of almost unimaginable ease. Here again, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/most-of-us-do-more-than-subsist-from-the-vantage-point-of-our/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [We've reached the end of incrementalism. Only those companies that are capable of creating industry revolutions will prosper in the new economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/we-ve-reached-the-end-of-incrementalism-only-those-companies-that-are/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [One way of building private foresight out of public data is looking where others aren't ... if you want to see the future, go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/one-way-of-building-private-foresight-out-of-public-data-is-looking/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [The fact is, society is made more hospitable by every individual who acts as if 'do unto others' really was a rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/the-fact-is-society-is-made-more-hospitable-by-every-individual-who/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Truth be told, there are lots of companies that provide exemplary phone support. DirecTV, Virgin America and Apple are a few that regularly exceed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/truth-be-told-there-are-lots-of-companies-that-provide-exemplary/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [The real damper on employee engagement is the soggy, cold blanket of centralized authority. In most companies, power cascades downwards from the CEO. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/the-real-damper-on-employee-engagement-is-the-soggy-cold-blanket-of/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [The problem with the future is that it is different, if you are unable to think differently, the future will always arrive as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/the-problem-with-the-future-is-that-it-is-different-if-you-are-unable/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [An adaptable company is one that captures more than its fair share of new opportunities. It's always redefining its 'core business' in ways that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/an-adaptable-company-is-one-that-captures-more-than-its-fair-share-of/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [people are all there is to an organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/people-are-all-there-is-to-an-organization/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [To be embraced, a change effort must be socially constructed in a process that gives everyone the right to set priorities, diagnose barriers ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/to-be-embraced-a-change-effort-must-be-socially-constructed-in-a/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [I'm not one of those professors whose office is encased floor-to-ceiling with books. By the way, I think academics do this to intimidate their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/i-m-not-one-of-those-professors-whose-office-is-encased-floor-to/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [In a democracy, you don't need anyone's permission to form a new political party, publish a politically charged article, or organize a 'tea party.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/in-a-democracy-you-don-t-need-anyone-s-permission-to-form-a-new/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Our biggest challenge is how to create a self-renewing company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/our-biggest-challenge-is-how-to-create-a-self-renewing-company/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) [Explore all 121 Gary Hamel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Hamel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a-company-has-to-be-a-game/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a-company-has-to-be-a-game/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f68/gary-hamel-3793_business_to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a_1870532.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who…” — Gary Hamel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gary Hamel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To escape the curse of commoditization,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a-company-has-to-be-a-game/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/to-escape-the-curse-of-commoditization-a-company-has-to-be-a-game/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```