Perlman like Mickey Mantle is a grand example of how not to. The downfall of countless large railroads and other institutions, Rock Island, Penn Central, CF&I, Schlitz, etc. makes one wonder how executives lose touch with their customers, put out a crummy product and run their business into the ground. A lot of shareholders ask the same questions when their stock goes below a buck and the dividends stop. Then you examine the ones that survived and how they did it.
To give his generation some credit they at least had a vision of "next year" as opposed to the end of this month. It took them at least several years to kill an institution as opposed to mere months.
The current consolidation of major industries in a period of an expanding (exploding?) economy makes one wonder if the current generation of executives at large corporations could actually manage in a competitive environment. Obviously some of them will successfully manage to the point that they will have no competitors. The Perlmans of the world will love it.