It’s unlikely that you recently rode a buggy to work, made calls on a rotary phone, or listened to a cassette tape. We all know that the world has changed dramatically over the last few years, and the rules of the game have fundamentally shifted forever.
Today, a whole new set of skills is needed in order to win in an era of fierce competition and mind-spinning complexity. We now live an environment where relying on past models of success is irresponsibly dangerous. Our current business climate has become faster than Italian racecars and spoiled actresses.
It’s important to zoom out to realize how different the landscape is and what is needed for today’s success. Let’s take a look at winning…then vs. now:
| Then | Now |
| Big | Fast |
| Obedience | Original thinking |
| Status Quo | Mold-breaking |
| Classic video games | Classic video games |
| Japan | Detroit |
| Left Brain | Right Brain |
| Client/Server | Cloud |
| Levis | Luckys |
| Growing National Debt | Gigantic National Debt |
| Steve Jobs | Steve Jobs |
| 9-5 | 24/7/365 |
| Follow the rules | Improvisation |
| Fear | Possibility |
| Big banks | Micro-loans |
| Baby Boom | Social Boom |
| Control | Empowerment |
| Jocks | Nerds |
| Rigidity | Complexity |
| Finite competition | Pervasive competition |
| Madonna | Lady GaGa |
| MBA | MFA |
| Calculated R&D | Real-time innovation |
| Not enough information | Too much information |
| LOL | OMG |
| Animal House | The Hangover |
| Management | Leadership |
| Politicians misbehaving | Politicians misbehaving |
| Stifling bureaucracy | Fluid culture |
| Top-down | Bottom-up |
| The Information Age | The Age of Creativity |
You may think you’re executing a winning playbook, but if it’s last year’s (or decade’s) plan, it’s likely to fall flat. Stop clinging to the past, and seize today. The world has changed forever… have you?