Kirk Kerkorian

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Signature MovePerot: Obscene Demands Until They Stop Saying No Signature MoveBuffett: Insurance Float as a Super Margin Account Signature MoveHuizenga: Close in the Stench Until They Say Yes Cornerstone MoveSteal the Playbook, Then Outrun the Author Risk DoctrineLuck Acknowledged Then Ruthlessly Exploited Identity & CultureJoy in the Chase Not the Prize Capital StrategyHold Your Equity Until It Compounds Past Nine Figures Identity & CultureThick Skin Inherited or Forged by Fire Cornerstone MoveConsolidate Fragmented Industries at Blitzkrieg Speed Cornerstone MoveNobody Got Rich Watching from the Stands Strategic PatternHigh-Growth Industry as the Only On-Ramp Capital StrategyInsurance Float as Empire Foundation Signature MoveKerkorian: Sell Before the Peak, Never Pick the Bone Clean Relationship LeveragePolitical Access as Wealth Multiplier Not Wealth Creator Cornerstone MoveKeep the Back Door Open on Every Bet Operating PrincipleFrugality as Permanent Competitive Moat Signature MoveWalton: Spy on Every Competitor Then Outwork Them All Signature MoveRockefeller: Silent Desk, Then Swivel-Chair Knockout Cornerstone MoveEquity Stakes for Distribution Leverage Competitive AdvantageCableLabs Royalty-Free Standards Play Cornerstone MoveStock Architecture to Lock Control Competitive AdvantageBlackout as Franchise Leverage Capital StrategyTax-Sheltered Growing Annuity Capital StrategyInsurance Company Capital Over Banks Signature MoveNever Bet the Whole Farm Strategic PatternWarrants as Industry Coordination Currency Decision FrameworkEmpathy as Negotiation Architecture Signature MoveThrow the Keys on the Table Signature MoveOwn a Small Piece of a Winner You Can't Run Operating PrincipleDecentralized Cowboys with Centralized Benchmarks Risk DoctrineWhat If Not as Decision Filter Strategic PatternScale Economics as Survival Doctrine Signature MoveAsk One Sharp Question to Crack Open Intel Signature MoveCash Flow Not Earnings as Currency Cornerstone MoveBuy the System, Pay With Its Own Cash Flow Identity & CultureIntrovert's Edge Through Listening Operating PrincipleDenial as Quality Control Identity & CulturePrincipal or Employee, No Middle Ground Signature MoveInstinct Over Data as Decision Doctrine Cornerstone MoveOne Dumb Step Then Course-Correct at Speed Operating PrincipleCreative Conflict as Decision Engine Decision FrameworkSerendipity as Career Navigation System Cornerstone MoveControl Hardwired or Walk Away Signature MoveHire Sparky Blank Slates Over Credentialed Veterans Competitive AdvantageContrarian Counterprogramming as Market Entry Strategic PatternScreens as Interactive Commerce Surfaces Cornerstone MoveSeize Mismanaged Clay and Sculpt It Capital StrategyCash the Lucky Check Immediately Signature MoveMaterial First, Never the Package Identity & CultureFearlessness Borrowed from Greater Terror Operating PrincipleDrill to Molecular Understanding Before Acting Signature MoveSpin Out What You Build, Never Hoard Scale Signature MoveTorture the Process Until Truth Rings

Primary Evidence

"Branson also precisely replicated Kirk Kerkorian’s policy of “keeping the back door open” in acquiring aircraft. The deal for the air¬ line’s first Boeing 747 allowed him to sell the plane back to the manufac¬ turer at nearly the original price if Virgin failed."

Source:How to Be a Billionaire : Proven Strategies From the Titans of Wealth

"Aside from his mental acuity, Rockefeller relied on the same sort of imperturbability for which Kirk Kerkorian is known nowadays. He liked to tell how an angry contractor once burst into his office and furiously de¬ nounced him. Rockefeller sat quietly at his desk without looking up until the man was exhausted from his tirade. He then spun around in his swivel chair and said, “I didn’t catch what you were saying. Would you mind re¬ peating yourself?”4"

Source:How to Be a Billionaire : Proven Strategies From the Titans of Wealth

"“Let’s Start Working on It” Ultimately, the impetus behind Kirk Kerkorian’s success has been his restlessness. The wide variety of businesses he has engaged in supports his claim that he started out with no specific ambition. “I just tend to get dis¬ satisfied easily and want to do something else,” he once explained.35 Day-"

Source:How to Be a Billionaire : Proven Strategies From the Titans of Wealth

"Branson motivates employees to excel by putting them into slightly higher positions than they expect. Like Kirk Kerkorian, Branson has no difficulty delegating day-to-day operations, much preferring to spend his time on new ventures. As long as a business is doing well, he does not bother to meet with management, while making himself available for crises. Virgin Atlantic Airways is the one business in which he maintains a tight grip on operations."

Source:How to Be a Billionaire : Proven Strategies From the Titans of Wealth

"He had exhausted even the financially elastic mind of Mike Milken to find another acquisition for TBS. With the takeover threats from Kirk Kerkorian and others still fresh in his mind, and consolidation and vertical integration going on around him, Ted felt it was time to think seriously about joining forces with somebody."

Source:Born to Be Wired

"Another indication that I was out of my little league was meeting Kirk Kerkorian. He was an entrepreneur extraordinaire who had flown de Havilland Mosquitoes during World War II, after which he built an air-transport fleet and then proceeded to play on bigger and bigger stages with bigger and bigger businesses. He bought MGM when it was leaking money and floundering, after its long reign as the number one studio. At the same time, Kerkorian bought an airline that was also in trouble."

Source:Who Knew

Appears In Volumes

How to Be a Billionaire : Proven Strategies From the Titans of Wealth Born to Be Wired Who Knew