Most of the artists & entrepreneurs I consult with, who have been in the game a long time, are the ones having the most difficulty altering their methods, changing their style and adapting to the marketing strategies of the new techno world. That’s because they keep doing the same things they’ve always done, that have always worked, made many of them rich, and got them to where they are today. Now they’re hope’n & pray’n that they still have that “o’l magic” to get them through these tough economic times. What they forgot is that it never was “magic” that got them where they are. It was their courage to take uncertain risks and make unproven decisions. It was their willingness to make personal sacrifices and work hard…really hard. And it was their ability to create something from nothing, with abandon, like they had nothing to lose. The difference now is, they’ve got something to lose, something at stake—their families, kids, college tuition and comfy lifestyle.
“So why does my genius fail me now?” they ask. Cause they’re stuck in an old worn out belief system that says the problems they have today can be solved by using yesterday’s solutions. They’re misguided that the genius promotions and brilliant marketing strategies that worked so well in the past will somehow get them through these challenging times. Truth is, there ainʼt no “getʼn thru” these challenging times by using the old worn out methods of a bygone era. These challenging times are not temporary and they’re not pausing so we can take a breath and gather our thoughts. The only way a self-made artist or an incumbent entrepreneur can make it today is to rethink, redesign, reinvent and recreate their entire business strategy—with trusted intelligence, not clever foxiness; and with humility and transparency, not craftiness and cunning.
Problem is, you can’t develop the art without first developing the artist. And you can’t transform the company without first transforming the CEO. Therein lies the rub, and therein lies the reason why incumbents rarely invent the future.