3 WAYS TO BECOME DISRUPTIVE (And Ensure Future Relevance)

Most organizations waste energy trying to avoid disruption. They build defensive strategies, monitor competitors, and react to changes as they occur. But what if this approach is fundamentally backward?

The real question isn't how to avoid disruption—it's how to become more disruptive yourself. When you focus on disrupting the status quo rather than defending it, you position yourself to lead change instead of merely surviving it.

1. Disrupt Your Business Model

Disrupting yourself might sound counterintuitive, but it offers powerful advantages. By actively looking for ways to challenge your current business model, you discover weaknesses before your competitors do. You uncover opportunities that remain invisible to those playing defense.

I know people who actively work to automate parts of their jobs. They don't do this because they want to be replaced—they do it because they recognize that programmable tasks will eventually be outsourced.

By taking control of this process, they stay ahead of the curve while gaining valuable insights about where new obstacles and opportunities might emerge.

2. Focus on Those You Serve

When the environment changes rapidly, people's needs change with it. These shifts often put your customers or clients in a defensive position, reacting to changes they didn't anticipate and don't fully understand.

This moment of vulnerability creates your greatest leadership opportunity. If your business model, products, or services are truly built around your impact on others, you must evolve as their circumstances evolve.

Many organizations fail to recognize this connection. They assume their offerings will remain valuable regardless of how dramatically their customers' worlds change. This dangerous assumption leaves them vulnerable to competitors who better understand the evolving landscape.

3. Leverage Technology Proactively

Today, we have more technology at our fingertips than ever before. This isn't just theoretical—it's practical. The tools needed to disrupt yourself are readily available, from AI and automation to data analytics and digital platforms.

The question isn't whether disruption will happen—it's who will control it.

By embracing these technologies proactively, you can shape disruption rather than being shaped by it.

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TAKE Action 

1. Identify three aspects of your work that could be automated or fundamentally reimagined.

2. Consider how your customers' or clients' needs might change in response to major technological or social shifts.

3. Develop a "disruption strategy" that transforms your offerings before external forces make them obsolete.

4. Create space for experimentation where team members can safely test disruptive ideas without fear of failure.

Remember, disruption isn't something to avoid—it's something to lead. Start disrupting yourself today, and you'll be prepared to thrive no matter what changes tomorrow brings.

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