The world is constantly in motion, changing. Humans are not static beings either. Our bodies were created in motion. They change over time, and they adapt to our surroundings. But when it comes to our lives, change is hard. But why is something that is so natural, so ingrained in our being be so difficult?Progress is impossible without change. And those who cannot change their mind, cannot change anything. - George Bernard ShawLIE: “IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT.”This may be true about Grandaddy's tractor and mom’s favorite family recipe, but throw this out of your vocabulary when it comes to leadership & business.My family has always loved movies. Every week growing up we would make a trip to the Blockbuster store that was a 4-minute drive from our house. We’d normally get 2 or 3 movies – 1 or 2 new releases and a family favorite. Video games were a bit more expensive, but most of the time Dad would even let me pick one out.We would take home our loot for 4 days at a time, enjoy them together, then dad would inevitably forget to take them back on the day they were due. I think we paid more in late fees than it cost to buy the movie.We weren't the only ones. This industry had a huge market from the beginning. It grew organically in the pre-startup and VC days when everything was a bit simpler. But then something unexpected happened…And it wasn't just Netflix.THE CHANGEAfter Blockbuster had some troubles at the turn of the century trying to identify a more sustainable strategy for the future, Netflix showed up on the scene to stomp out the embers.Now we all know the story...Netflix meant no more going to the store and no more late fees. They’d just ship movies to your house. Netflix eventually moved completely online, while Blockbuster fumbled through some last-stitch attempts at survival and anticlimactically went bankrupt. And by the time they finally liquidated, no one cared. They were a distant memory to the digital media consumer.Blockbuster personifies the phrase “going the way of the dinosaur”. They had the market cornered, the highest revenue and brand recognition in the industry. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing. Their tractor wasn’t broken. But eventually, it worked against them. They had access to great technology. They could have seen the landscape changing. And they had resources to understand their customer better than anyone. But they were blinded by their success and died a slow and painful death because they refused to change.FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVEIn times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy. – J. Paul GettySociety is a dynamic place. If we choose to stay within what we’ve always done, not only is the opportunity cost enormous, but the landscape of business will naturally grow out of everything that you’ve always known to be true.In response to this reality, thinking forward is CRUCIAL. Learn from your success for the future, don’t get trapped by your success. If we can look into the future and theorize what the landscape is going to look like, we can potentially have a major competitive advantage. This is true for one reason: most of the others won’t.Even if we don't get it right every time, low probability/high yield practices only have to be right a few times to make up for all the other wrong plays. If Blockbuster would have used the resources they had to think about what the future would look like, they would have undoubtedly had a better shot at surviving the transition.FROM A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVEDo you still have your uniform from little league baseball? You should go try it on. The result would be pretty hilarious, right?The name on the back is still yours, but that doesn't mean you should continue wearing it.Many times we unquestionably return to what has always worked, without thinking about what could potentially work better for the future. Our perspective, thinking, decision-making, and ultimately our lives should change as we grow into the person that we are becoming. And the thing about becoming is it never stops.OVER TO YOU! DO YOU BELIEVE YOU WERE DESIGNED TO CHANGE? AND IF SO, IS A LACK OF VISION FOR THE FUTURE KEEPING YOU STUCK WHERE YOU ARE?
