Everything Changes
August 26th, 2008
The Olympics are over. And there have been a lot of great stories told and many a great performance. Arguably, the best of these belongs to the appropriately named Usain Bolt who is the new owner of the “fastest man on earth” title with an astounding 9.69 second 100-meter dash.
An article this week in Wired points out that Bolt’s performance has defied the natural “curve” of what biostatisticians have predicted. In other words, they expected humans to get faster, but they didn’t predict Bolt’s time until around 2030.
And I tell you that to tell you this: Bolt is a game changer. Even his body type is unexpected for a sprinter. And nobody saw this coming. Everyone was just going on their merry way thinking about how things don’t change that much and BAM! 9.69 seconds.
The business world isn’t all that different. Sure, the technologies are constantly changing, but I think we’ve been lulled into a “natural curve” sort of thinking. Even with the rise of social media and word of mouth marketing, everyone is kinda getting used to the idea. And that’s usually when the next BAM! happens. It can be in the form of technology, but also in the form of a new business model. You know the ones I’m talking about. They are the Zappos of the world – which is a very exclusive group. It’s not improving on something already out there. It’s inventing something beyond expectation.
In other words, the point is no longer to simply beat the competition. It’s to completely change the game on them and leave them in the dust.
Other posts by Spike.
Chris says:
Good thoughts, Spike. And your Zappos example is inspired. I would usually think of Skype or Wikipedia as examples - why wouldn’t I think of Zappos?? Good call!
August 26th, 2008 at 7:10 amJohn Warner says:
If you really are creating a distinctive company, it is not about beating the competition, who are all behind you, it is about creating new value for an emerging market of customers, who are all in front of you.
I have interviewed many highly successful entrepreneurs, and typically when I ask about about the competition in the early days, they typically looked puzzled, because in their minds there weren’t any direct competitors
August 26th, 2008 at 8:06 amSpike says:
Thanks, Chris. Great to hear from you.
And great points, John. I agree. We often say that your competition isn’t those guys down the road. You’re greatest competition is life.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:26 amEvan says:
The scientist in me can help but draw a comparison to biology. You’ll see similar patterns in the natural selection process. Evolution is not a straight line. Mutation and spikes of ability (no pun intended, okay, maybe a little) agitate stagnation and sometimes give an advantage to certain individuals or groups.
In business, we could relabel “mutation” to “change in the corporate DNA” — not much of a metaphor change there. But on a smaller scale, I think ideas (good or bad) are the real mutators in business. The more ideas, the more you may adapt to change. “Spikes of ability” could become, “hiring Brains on Fire” or “making good personnel decisions.”
I guess this line of thought runs counter to the gist of your post. Because I’m suggesting that the natural curve remains intact, just depends on the scale of your perspective.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:30 amKyle says:
I can’t wait until Businesss Execs start doing the “Bow & Arrow” victory pose Usain uses at the end of races.
I wonder what that will look like?
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/olympics/article.aspx?id=619689
August 26th, 2008 at 9:09 amSkip Lineberg says:
Spike-
Great post. Indeed, Usain Bolt was a disruptive force in track’s sprint “industry sector.” To some extent, it was about his beliefs: his confidence, his attitude, his belief that he could achieve such an astounding time. And that’s a lesson for all of us.
Love Zappos, by the way.
Very best regards,
August 26th, 2008 at 6:02 pmSkip Lineberg
Maple Creative
Billy says:
Skip said it all in the first three words: Spike- Great post. Nice job, Skip.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:22 amSkip Lineberg says:
Spike-
Here’s another log to add to your fire. We did a post about Tiger’s disruptive force back in June. Breakthrough athletes are a great metaphor for this effect in the world of business.
http://marketinggenius.blogspot.com/2008/06/tigers-disruptive-force.html
Best regards,
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:16 pmSkip Lineberg
Maple Creative