Is “innovate or die” really the question?
Let me share a true story about transformation, vision, and the cost of hesitation.
Six years ago, I stepped into a role with a bold mandate: automate, digitize, and transform an established organization into a data-driven market leader.
To get the job, I pitched a strategy to digitize service lines, create new client value, and expand revenue.
My background – co-authoring a book on digital transformation and founding three startups – gave me the confidence to drive change.
Within six months, I delivered a transformation roadmap and execution plan.
One flagship project was digitizing manual data processes. For ten months, I led a team of nine master’s-level data scientists, pushing boundaries in computer vision and automating feature extraction from LiDAR point clouds.
We hit home runs weekly, developing cutting-edge technology.
We saw an opportunity to partner with a LiDAR software firm, even proposing an acquisition to integrate our innovation. The business case was solid, the market potential enormous.
But the executive team who were non-technical, unfamiliar with digital transformation couldn’t grasp the possibilities. The acquisition was denied.
The project ended.
The tech sat idle.
For three years, I fought an uphill battle. Despite clear warnings that failing to digitize would leave us obsolete, resistance persisted.
Eventually, I left in frustration.
Fast forward to this week.
I met with a smaller competitor in the same industry.
They built my vision. Agile, innovative, and bold, they launched similar technology as a SaaS platform.
It’s generating revenue and changing the game.
Their CEO spoke like a true tech leader, understanding both technology and business model innovation.
Eight of my former firm’s service lines are now at risk because this competitor digitized processes, eliminated manual tasks, and offered new market value.
Here’s the punchline – the competitor’s platform is now used by rivals, positioning them as a potential market behemoth.
Most executives in the industry still don’t understand what it means to be at the center of a platform business model.
If you don’t digitize, automate, and transform, your organization is at serious risk.
My former firm is now six years behind. But they were three years ahead.
The competitor will leapfrog them all because they embraced digital-first, data-driven transformation.
The lesson?
If you want shade, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time was yesterday. If you haven’t started, you have no shade today.
I’m now focused on helping organizations see the digital light.
Digitizing at speed and scale to dominate industries.
But it all starts at the top.
The rules are being rewritten daily, and only the bold will survive.
I’ve witnessed the divide firsthand.
Which side will your organization be on?
#Leadership #Innovation #DearCEO #CEO