Transformation Series: Future Proof Your Business

It’s easy to look at the world through the lens of our own industry, our own teams, our own habits. But the danger in that is we start solving today’s problems with yesterday’s thinking.

That’s why I believe in looking beyond the familiar - at companies in very different spaces to see how they’ve either embraced reinvention… or resisted it.

What if the most valuable lessons for future proofing your business were hiding outside your comfort zone?

• Some, like Kodak, once sat at the top of innovation, only to cling so tightly to their comfort zone that they lost it all.

• Others, like Spirit Airlines, built a model that seemed efficient—but created friction that eroded value.

• Companies like AOL remind us how long we sometimes hold onto legacy, even when it no longer serves.

• And leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos show the power of curiosity and agility—asking bold questions and pivoting when the landscape shifts.

This isn’t just corporate storytelling. I want you to think about this as a way to practice for your own adaptability. When you stretch your perspective by learning from others, you sharpen your ability to:

• Reframe challenges from multiple angles.

• See risks and opportunities earlier.

• Expand your range of possible responses.

• Build flexibility into your planning.

  
  

As you start thinking ahead to year-end strategy and next year’s priorities, the real question is: are you relying on the comfort of what’s worked—or are you willing to be just a little curious?  To learn from the uncomfortable truths and bold moves of others?

Over the next month, I’ll share a series of What If Wednesdays that explore these lessons. The goal isn’t to copy Kodak, Spirit, AOL, Musk, or Amazon but to train ourselves to think differently, so we don’t get trapped in our own blind spots.

Because the leaders who thrive aren’t the ones who cling to what was — they’re the ones who adapt, reinvent, and future-proof what’s next.