On Saturday late afternoon, I found myself exchanging text messages with my friend Joe. He’s a Clemson fan and I’m a Florida State supporter.
And at the time, both of our football teams were losing big.
But as we shot quips back and forth, Joe and I noted just how far our teams had fallen. It wasn’t long ago when Florida State and Clemson were winning national titles and often, it seemed, in the hunt for others. If you were a fan of those schools, you knew the joy of tickertape falling from the sky.
But now? Not so much. The world has changed in ways Clemson and Florida State couldn’t manage. Those schools spent tens of millions on facilities – which once provided a magnet for recruits – just as the world changed and how much you could pay players was far more important than the aesthetics of your weight room.
So, what happened?
Clearly, other schools got a head start in finding new ways to win. They have discovered ways to take advantage of financial loopholes in the rapidly changing college football system that Florida State and Clemson have not (yet). As a fan, that’s certainly troubling.
But as Joe and I kept texting, we realized we weren’t alone.
Advancements in NIL and the transfer portal have changed college football forever. Fans of schools like Nebraska and USC know exactly what I mean.
Beyond football, businesses all over the world are feeling the effects of ground-shifting change in their industry. It’s the thing everyone is thinking but not always saying out loud.
Changes that once took generations to occur now take but a few years—if that. Changing supply chains in an age of politically random tariffs is one way some businesses are finding competitive advantages. Navigating changing regulations that no one could have imagined is another. Being first to understand changing consumer habits can mean the difference between thriving and barely surviving.
And it is important to remember that what you’ve adjusted for today may need a totally new approach just 24 hours later. Today, Ohio State is King of college football. But tomorrow? Who knows? Sometimes change passes an organization even before they realize it.
Imagine being a horse salesman at the time the Model T started rolling off assembly lines. Sometimes organizations or businesses can get too comfortable. Heck, I saw it happen at Sports Illustrated when the internet took over media. The greatest magazine in the world was slow to react to the digital age and I watched it begin a downward spiral towards irrelevance.
These days, Joe is in the middle of a similar problem.
His business, he worries, might be affected in irreparable ways because of advances in technology—all this, he noted, and AI isn’t even off the runway.
So, what should Joe do?
What should CEOs in the middle of rapid change do in order not to feel lost at sea?
What should FSU and Clemson do?
Well, here are four ideas.
RULE 1: When The Environment Changes, Nostalgia Is Useless
When something big changes, it’s important not to waste time wishing for the past. There is no value in pining for something that will never return. As business leaders, we can’t spend a moment in the echo chamber of lost glory. While the past can inform, it’s never coming back. Instead, be brutally honest about what’s evolved and move on…quickly!
RULE 2: Move Faster Than Your Fear
In today’s world, hesitation can derail an entire organization. While a group of people sit down and contemplate their next move, the marketplace could pass them by like a cheetah. Think back to the turn of the century. As some outlets mulled the value of the internet, others embraced the change. Guess who won…
RULE 3: Experiment Before You Have All The Answers
When you’re faced with uncertainty, you have to do something. In business, sitting on your hands can lead to failure. Instead, I urge you to accept that you will never have the perfect strategy on Day One. Instead, go out and test things. Run small experiments. Learn about the new territory as you forge a way forward.
RULE 4: Let Constant Reinvention Be Your Future
The biggest mistake in any industry is stagnation. You might as well put a sign outside that says, “I’m waiting for trouble.” Instead, go out and innovate constantly. Watch what other successful organizations are doing. Be willing to cannibalize the past and toss out your mistakes. Maybe you’ll even need to toss out your successes as you continue to iterate. Face the new day with fresh ideas—even when things are going well.
Don’t wait until the scoreboard forces you to adapt.
Instead, get ahead and force the other team make a comeback.
