Extra Points: Riding the Wave of Innovation

I remember my first real television. It was the mid-1970s and this big, brown, boxy Zenith was in the center of the living room. We had exponentially less channels than today; the local affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS (no FOX back then), PBS and a couple of Canadian stations we could pick up due to our proximity to the border. The remote control? That was me; in order to change the channel, one would have to get up, turn the knob over to your new channel, and then go back to sit down.

My friends were very impressed when my grandfather – who was an expert electrician – built a small box with a button that was wired to the TV, but long enough to sit by your chair. It was the first mute button we ever had!

Watching television has changed dramatically over the past 45 years. Heck, even 20 years ago, I’m not sure we saw this coming. I now watch television from the Internet, using Roku as a base for applications like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and You Tube TV. As I write this, we recently signed up for the new Disney + for a year for free, compliments of our wireless phone carrier. Think how foreign that would have sounded not that long ago.

Entertainment and communications have changed so much over the decade that they have made extinct businesses like video stores. Innovation and change is required for survival for any business of any size, including yours. Regardless of your role – be it the owner or employee – sustainability and value of the business is predicated on the ability to innovate. And you don’t have to be a giant to do this. In fact, the smaller more nimble you are, the better!

Your assignment this week is to identify one way your business will look differently next year. What product or service will you create? What might you stop doing? Will you enhance your ability to communicate with clients by technology? Will you improve the lives of your employees and their families? How will you change in 2020 and beyond?

The term “surfing” once meant only one thing; catching a wave in the ocean with a surf board. Today, it most likely means using your remote control to find entertainment over hundreds of options. If you don’t strategically plan to innovate and grow, you’ll crash on those waves. However, if you make innovation part of your business continuity plan, then you may find yourself on top of the wave and leading the pack.

Be Unleashed!

~ William Blake

© 2019 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved