Adapt to Change or Your Business Will Die

Around my family I was know as ”Mr. Tradition” - the guy who wants to keep events, traditions, family rituals the same year after year. It made things predictable and me comfortable. That mentality bled into my early career as I look back I can see it didn’t serve me well.

But, here is what I learned over the last thirteen years in running businesses:

Being comfortable will kill a business. Embracing (rapid) change is mandatory when building a successful and sustainable brand in today’s business environment.*

Very successful leaders, founders, and CEOs have achieved success through a lot of what they already know, grit, and lots of determination. It’s easy to fall into the “it worked in the past so it will work in the future” mentality. But, I’ve seen many companies stall or fail because the leadership didn’t embrace change.

I’ve found that embracing change is acknowledging one can get stuck and need help from time to time. It’s not a sign of weakness, rather, a sign of a great leader.

Here’s a fascinating story about the “Backwards Brain Bicycle” from Destin Sandlin, founder of Smarter Every Day. There are many themes that stuck with me after watching it it but the key takeaway - be open and train your brain, sooner than later, and accept and embrace change.

*Coincidentally, thirteen years ago is when my first kid was born….coincident? Hmmm.