Undisruptable: A mindset of permanent reinvention

"Undisruptable: A mindset of permanent reinvention" is a great book. What do Amazon, caterpillars, imaginal discs, the Amara effect, a rugby stadium, Kintsugi, S-curves, infinity, mayfly, Sequoia trees, purpose, queen wasp, Archimedes, magic spells, Rome, Apple, crabs, lobsters, dragons, poison, jellyfish, Fujifilm, Walt Disney, Arnold Swarzenegger, trees, forest fires, coconuts and butterflies have in common? They are all used by Aidan McCullen as metaphors to explain the need for reinvention. I have never read a book that uses metaphors, biology, nature, history, fables, philosophy, etc and links it to management theory. It is awesome and delightful. Every chapter ends with the key lessons and questions. If you read this book, you will never be the same. And that is the point.

Increase your return on capabilities

As professionals, all the skills we learn accumulate to give us a unique combination. Return on capability is intangible when we compare it to existing, established and proven business (and mental) models. This is why new business models require new measurements and new mindsets. When the business environment is in flux, we cannot measure future endeavours in the same way we measure past successes. When you embark on an experiment, you build capability, and that capability can deliver unintended successes. Success involves continually investing in yourself and in your business ahead of the necessity and when you have the funds to do so.

We are stuck in the past

According to the Boston Consulting Group, the average life of a business model was once fifteen years. By their estimation, that number has drastically reduced to five years. That applies to you too. You are not spending enough time in tomorrow.

The seed of destruction is in success

The moment we reach the peak in any endeavour, the dip is already underway. Alas, therein lies the problem: our successes often blind us to the possibility of failure, our victories can sometimes defeat us. We become so preoccupied with optimising, enjoying and defending the competitive advantage that made us successful today that we neglect to prepare for tomorrow. This mode of thinking is outdated. We can no longer win with defence alone; there is no longer a safe…