3 Moves Your Competitors Won't Make—And Why You Should

The difference between leaders who thrive and those who survive comes down to how they handle what they can't control.

Just ask the executives at BlackBerry, Toys"R"Us, or Sears—companies that dominated their markets before getting blindsided by changes they never saw coming.

BlackBerry controlled 50% of the smartphone market in 2009. Their executives were so confident in their keyboard-focused approach that they dismissed the iPhone as a toy for consumers, not serious business users. By 2016, their market share had dropped to less than 1%.

Toys"R"Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017 despite being the world's largest toy retailer. Leadership failed to adapt to e-commerce trends and changing consumer behavior, clinging to a big-box retail model while Amazon reshaped how families bought toys.

Sears was once America's largest retailer and one of the most valuable companies. But leadership spent decades trying to preserve their catalog and department store model instead of embracing the digital transformation that was reshaping retail.

Here’s the thing: these companies didn’t ignore change. They were well aware of it. The fatal mistake these companies made was trying to control it instead of leveraging it.

When you try to control uncertainty, you spend your energy fighting forces bigger than you. When you leverage uncertainty, you use those same forces to create opportunities your competitors can't see.

All that to say, The real risk isn’t being unaware of change; it’s believing you’re immune to it.

If you’re ready to shape the future rather than being shaped by it, here are three strategies to ensure you succeed:

#1: Stop Chasing Certainty, Start Creating Clarity

When was the last time you delayed a decision because you were waiting for more information that never came?

Most leaders exhaust themselves trying to predict the unpredictable. They want guarantees before they'll make a move.

BlackBerry's leadership spent years conducting market research and focus groups, trying to predict exactly what business customers wanted. Meanwhile, Apple was creating what customers didn't even know they needed.

This obsession with certainty—not uncertainty—killed their ability to innovate.

The solution?

Accept that the future is made, not predicted. Focus on what you can influence, not what you can’t control. Build scenarios, test assumptions, and move forward with confidence.

The Uncertainty Test: Look at your last five major decisions. How many were delayed because you were waiting for perfect information? If it's more than one, you're letting uncertainty paralyze you instead of using it as fuel.

#2: Embrace High-Impact, High-Uncertainty Opportunities

"Safe" strategies feel comfortable, but they won't differentiate you from your competition. The greatest opportunities lie in the areas where outcomes are uncertain.

Remember when Netflix was a DVD-by-mail service? If they played it “safe,” they wouldn’t be the powerhouse they are today. Netflix knew they couldn’t sit back and wait for the future to arrive before taking action. Instead, they made a massive bet on streaming when the technology was still unreliable, and broadband adoption was uncertain. That uncertainty created the opening they needed to dominate.

Meanwhile, Blockbuster had all the data it needed to make the same move—it just couldn't stomach the uncertainty of cannibalizing its profitable late-fee business model.

The solution?

Deliberately seek out high-impact, high-uncertainty areas. These are your game-changers. Look for trends where the potential impact is huge but the timeline and outcome are unclear. That's where you can make moves while your competitors are still trying to figure out what's happening.

The Uncertainty Test: What percentage of your strategic initiatives target high-uncertainty, high-impact opportunities? If it's under 30%, you're playing it too safe to win.

#3: Build Optionality Into Everything You Do

Most leaders treat strategy like a one-way street: pick a direction, commit, and hope the market cooperates. But in a world that refuses to stand still, single-path bets are dangerous.

The leaders who consistently win create options. They design their businesses to pivot, double down, or walk away when the landscape shifts.

Look at how Amazon operates. They don't just launch a new service and pray it works. They test, iterate, and run multiple experiments at once. If something flops, they move on. If something catches fire—like AWS—they scale it fast while competitors are still stuck in planning mode.

Most leaders do the opposite. They commit everything to one approach and hope for the best. When that approach hits a wall, they're stuck.

The solution?

Run multiple experiments, not one big bet. Spread your resources across several small tests instead of putting everything on a single approach. Know when to double down, when to pivot, and when to walk away. When uncertainty hits, you want real options.

The Uncertainty Test: Count your current strategic moves. If you don't have at least three different ways to win, you’re betting with a weak hand.

TAKE Action 

The leaders who shape the next wave of innovation will be the ones who move while everyone else is still planning.

• Stop waiting for certainty.

• Start building in the uncertainty.

• Your competitive advantage depends on it.

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