Ever heard of the Most Successful “Failures”, it intrigued me for Sure!
Well, after Strategic Hibernation, there’s another concept I came across, this one is especially relatable in this COVID-driven transformation period, they call it the Strategy of Standing Still.
Highly successful brands like Coca-Cola and Google faced catastrophic consequences when they innovated their products just for the sake of being tagged as innovative. The failures I am quoting as examples are that of Crystal Cola and Google glasses. These companies had to eventually rebrand themselves to regain their previous goodwill, they desperately worked to “Stand Still ” and hold the ground where they stood originally.
So am I saying that innovation is bad? – Definitely, No.
So, then It’s good, right? – Well, not always!
The point I am trying to make here is innovating, just for the sake of change or the peer pressure of constantly being dynamic, may not always be fruitful.
From what I have seen, many industries and individuals are taking up new steps, just because they don’t want to be branded as “Stagnant” or “Inactive”, continuously carrying out these so-called changes without having proper purpose or direction.
Let’s ask ourselves some questions,
Is changing some existing features of my product would benefit customers, or are we just changing because it’s been the same for a while?
Or taking up that course on Udemy/Coursera adding value to my present and future endeavours or am I just taking it because all my colleagues are pursuing some and I have this fear of being left behind or Outdated?
Also, Would taking my brick-and-mortar business online would do any good, or am I just doing it because everyone around is doing the same?
Well, If one is motivated and passionate about the change, backed with a proper, brainstormed, analysed plan, one should go for it! Because even if it doesn’t work out, the way you envisioned it to be, it’s not a waste of resources, but rather a thought experiment.
However, if you are pursuing it just to “look” like you are doing something, just so that the world thinks of you as growing, or just because you lack the patience needed to stay at a place and observe the flow, then, is it even worth investing the resources? The most valuable resource here is time.
How about we see it this way – You keep boarding the nearest bus leaving because you don’t want to stay at a place for long, you board without even thinking about the destination you may reach because you are too impatient to wait for the right bus or maybe because all your friends are going on that trip. Only after multiple trips and a long period of time did you admit that those constant trips to beaches you took because that bus was always ready to leave weren’t actually what you longed for, Rather you would have loved that peaceful stay in the mountains!