Business Reinvention:
What, When, Why & How
March 2005

What, Why, When, and How: In a Nutshell?

Whatever scale you want to address: personal career, team performance, customer service delivery model, strategic business model, or your whole company - every winning formula has an expiration date. Business Reinvention refers to the process of looking in the mirror and saying to your self, "This game is over. What is the new version of "me" that is ready to emerge?" This process culminates, of course, with surrendering the old "you" for the "seed of creativity in your heart" that has already been planted.

Why go to all of this trouble? Change happens. It always has, but now it comes faster and faster. If you are familiar with the sigmoid curve, you know that a healthy, living phenomenon (your career, business model, company etc.) has a slow start that requires an investment, rises steadily until it hits its peak, and then begins to decline - unless it is "reinvented" before the decline begins.

For an in depth discussion of the sigmoid curve, we suggest The Age of Paradox by Charles Handy. The "when" is obvious - as long you're operating in the theoretical world of someone else's reality. Just look at the curve and you know it's time for reinvention just before you hit the peak of your old winning formula. But what if you're in the middle of living your own winning formula? That's when you know you're invincible and that the good times will go on forever. But they don't, because they can't. Change happens. The purpose of life is about learning, growing and contributing, not getting comfortable and closing up shop. We have to begin reinventing our new winning formula before we run out of the old one. Invest your success in starting over before you have to. Otherwise, your downward slide will let you know it's time.

The "how" is what separates those who thrive, from those who struggle. Remember that "seed of creativity"? It's already in your heart. You've been preprogrammed to become the next, more evolved version of, well, you! Are you listening to that quiet little voice that asks you to explore the next impossible frontier? Are you ever so amazed by someone else's inspiration that you literally "wake up" from your satisfied slumber and find your own inspiration? Do you ever abandon yourself to childish enthusiasm about your newest innovative idea and not give a dang that anyone snickers? Or, are you busy keeping up with what already is? Feeling superior and deserving, as you polish off your winning formula between exhibits. Perhaps complaining about what a hassle your life of entitlement has become. When you go to sleep, it's just a matter of time until you hit that downward slide and have to scramble to survive. But if you remember to stay awake, and really listen - to the market, to your people, to the industry pioneers - and most importantly, to the seed of creativity in your own heart that's just waiting to be watered, then you can know that change is coming - before it has to hurt so much. Because the only winning formula that never expires is the wisdom in your own heart: listen...trust...follow...surrender the old you...discover who you are becoming!

In addition to inspiring leaders to "stay tuned to the whispers of change", LionHeart facilitates organizational change to achieve the business results necessary to really thrive! Want Help? Contact our office at 503-632-8572