Change doesn't always mean progress, but the status quo isn't always the best result either. It is merely the most convenient.
- Harsha Bhogle
While I was growing up, one saying I often heard was, “if it is not broken, why fix it?”
But maintaining the status quo means we are comfortable with what worked in the past and what still appears to work (in the present). We then paper over the cracks & dents, and keep going until someone else comes up with a better product/offering/process/procedure, smashes the status quo, and the future no longer looks promising.
Major brands like Kodak, Xerox, and IBM (personal computers) went through this meltdown — although the truth is never so simple 1 — And many of today’s rockstar organisations, like Patagonia2, Canva, BrewDog3, Shopify, were once challengers who broke the tried & works models of their respective industries, and left their competitors trailing. An oft repeated example is how the iPhone challenged, transformed, created, and even destroyed industries.
Exercise
Don’t wait for the Quo to lose its Status. Whether you are a professional or an entrepreneur, take out some time each week - an hour at the very least - and look around (not just literally). You will find plenty of problems and opportunities.
Once you have a few that look promising, work with tools like SCAMPER, SWOT, or What If… to create possibilities.
You might eliminate a process that is no longer needed. Create a new offering out of existing components. Automate or delegate work that has been the bane of your existence. You might…
Schedule that hour now!
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo...
― Rob Siltanen