The race for national competitiveness is every bit as fierce as the competition among companies in the marketplace. Countries compete for investment, talent, growth, and opportunity in a globalised world, and those that are pushed out of the running surrender the greatest prize of all: human development, prosperity and happiness for their people. To avoid this fate, governments must focus on what really matters: how to be like the 11% of companies that have remained,through the decades, in the top 500. The lifecycle of companies should teach governments that the secret of eternal youth is constant innovation- seizing opportunities and behaving like the dynamic, entrepreneurial companies that are defining today's world and shaping its future.