Disruption and innovation are a MUST, not an option, especially today. I have been working with companies across all sectors for the last 15 years and my book ProVoke talks about the importance of disruption in order to enable innovation. My motto for the last two decades has been: Disrupt | Innovate | Lead

Fact: Without disruption, there is no innovation. Without innovation, there is no leadership and your company will stagnate. Your revenue lines may be high today but will not grow, and more importantly, you cannot thrive in the emerging and highly fluctuating digital world. Acquiring companies may bring tech into your company but does not build or nurture a thriving culture of innovation. So, what is the solution?

Often my clients call me and want me to be the miracle-worker! They tell me enthusiastically that they just had a board meeting and that the board of directors wants them to evolve rapidly and innovate with gusto! They want to transform their company into the digital age and do it immediately. Cultures take years and decades to build, and do not change with a mandate – it will take time.

Remember that employees in a company are often rewarded to be focused on objectives, delivering tasks, and not for their sense of imagination or innovation. Companies in all sectors of industry have become successful because of this focus, so naturally, asking people to change does not happen overnight. Mindsets are fixed and resistant and that is what prompted me to write my first book – to recognize and reward cultures of disruption in companies and the fearless folks who are going to change their mindset, explore new possibilities, and enable companies to innovate successfully. As I introduce in this short ‘Ecosystem of Disruption’ video, and then discuss in-depth in ProVoke, employees of a company form about 99% of a company, yet they don’t feel empowered that they can change the course of a company, feeling that only leadership has that capacity. We need to respect, empower, and excite our employees to be a key part of the new culture.

Innovation becomes further complicated because when companies fail to innovate early on, their distress causes what I call ‘last-minute purchase frenzies.’ Fire sales and panic buys! Driven by panic and competitive pressures, we see startup companies picked up by large companies. Example: Why don’t financial institutions innovate (given the extreme knowledge they have) and why do they feel that innovation comes only from Fintech acquisitions? Why don’t insurance companies innovate, rather they feel that innovation and on-demand-tech come from startups? Why not create a startup culture in your culture?

Key takeaway: To transform a company’s culture requires conscious effort to empower the employees to be part of the transformation and encourage them to drive the transformation. Imagine the possibilities?! Imagine the power you already have in your company! Unleash the power!

Disrupt | Innovate | Lead | Imagine