Learning One Big Thing at a Time: How Ajit Prabhu Builds Enduring Companies

In part two of my con­ver­sa­tion with Ajit Prab­hu, CEO and Co-Founder of Quest Glob­al, we dig into the think­ing behind how he built a com­pa­ny designed to last — not just suc­ceed. (If you missed last week’s blog, click here.)

Ajit isn’t inter­est­ed in chas­ing short-term wins. He’s focused on build­ing some­thing that can thrive for 100 years. In this blog, we explore how sys­tems think­ing, dis­ci­plined learn­ing, and five-year cycles have helped Quest grow from a two-per­son start­up into a bil­lion-dol­lar glob­al force — with­out los­ing its soul.

It’s a pow­er­ful reminder that the best lead­ers don’t just build com­pa­nies — they build clocks that keep tick­ing long after they’re gone.

In a world obsessed with speed, Ajit Prab­hu is tak­ing the long road — and doing it on purpose.

When we spoke recent­ly, Ajit shared some­thing that stopped me in my tracks. His com­pa­ny, Quest Glob­al, builds its growth in five-year learn­ing cycles. Five years. One major les­son at a time.

Build the Clock, Don’t Just Tell the Time

Ajit’s approach remind­ed me of one of my favorite Jim Collins frame­works: clock-build­ing vs. time-telling. Any­one can hus­tle to hit goals. But build­ing some­thing that lasts? That takes a dif­fer­ent mindset.

For Ajit, it’s all about cre­at­ing a sys­tem that out­lives the founder. That’s why Quest treats each five-year cycle as a chance to mas­ter a spe­cif­ic capa­bil­i­ty — whether it’s scal­ing glob­al accounts or inte­grat­ing acquisitions.

It’s a pow­er­ful idea. One that most lead­ers don’t have the patience for — but the best ones do.

Why It Works

Here’s what’s incred­i­ble: since adopt­ing this mod­el, Quest has suc­cess­ful­ly com­plet­ed 17 acqui­si­tions with­out los­ing its cul­ture or momen­tum. That’s no accident.

Ajit believes that learn­ing — real, deep, sys­temic learn­ing — requires more than check­lists and dash­boards. It has to become mus­cle mem­o­ry. And for that, you need time, dis­ci­pline, and a cul­ture that val­ues curios­i­ty over quick wins.

That’s what the ​“5 Years to mas­ter­ing acqui­si­tions” mind­set is all about. It’s not just a time hori­zon — it’s a com­mit­ment to embed­ding a capa­bil­i­ty into the company’s DNA. Rather than chas­ing the next deal, Quest took five full years to tru­ly under­stand how to inte­grate new teams, pre­serve cul­ture, and scale with pur­pose. And once that mus­cle was built? They moved to the next challenge.

Long-Term Think­ing Is a Strate­gic Advantage

In a mar­ket where so many lead­ers are reac­tive, Ajit is design­ing for the long haul. Not because it’s eas­i­er — but because it works. His calm, steady approach has helped Quest grow from 2 peo­ple to over 21,000 worldwide.

It’s a good reminder for all of us:
If you want to scale some­thing mean­ing­ful, slow down and ask — what’s the one big thing we need to learn (and ide­al­ly mas­ter) next? And how do we make it part of how we work every day?

That’s how you build a com­pa­ny that lasts.

Watch the full inter­view below:

Chal­lenge

• What’s one capa­bil­i­ty your orga­ni­za­tion could mas­ter in the next 5 years — some­thing so valu­able, it’s worth every ounce of time, focus, and effort?

Resources

• From $60 to $1 Bil­lion: Ajit Prab­hu’s Pur­pose-Dri­ven Journey
• The Ulti­mate Growth Lab May Be in Your Company