Evolve
I recently attended a classic hip-hop event that just had it's 25 year anniversary. When I used to attend this event two decades ago it was fresh and exciting. The culture was alive, the art was vibrant, the dance was progressive and the music spoke to me and my peers on a deep emotional level.
So this year when I saw that the event was coming to town I was excited to take my kids in hopes that this would be a life changing event for them.
What I discovered is that nothing had changed. It was almost as if time had stopped. The event was the same. The people were the same, the music was the same, the dance was the same, the performers were the same... and as you might imagine my kids were unimpressed mainly because the event was speaking to me not to them. Needless to say that in order for this event to exist and thrive for the next 25 years it will need to evolve or it will eventually fade away.
I then started to think about all of the businesses that I work with and I began to ask, are we all living in the past? Are we holding on to old ideals? Are we hoping things work the way they always have for the foreseeable future? If this is true then we're all in trouble.
The world is moving at an accelerated rate. The way we sell, package our offerings, deliver our services and communicate will continue to rapidly change. Therefore the desire, willingness and effort to evolve is the only option to thrive in the economy of the future.
My challenge to you is to look at your business and ask - what areas must evolve? Then take the necessary steps to change.