Shifting human behavior, whether mandated by government action or just because of the evolution of technology is nothing new. So how do companies not see what was coming? Denial.
Cigarettes were once a sign of cool. Hollywood always had a star lighting up as part of the story line to build the likeability of its protagonist. Now cigarette smokers are sent to the curb, literally, as more and more buildings become smoke free.
Fast food was once the great gathering place for the youth to grab an inexpensive meal and mingle with friends. Then fast food became the drive thru dinner busy families used on the way to the next stop. Now fast food is under attack for contributing to the obesity in this country.
The daily newspaper was the medium to get detailed stories from well respected reporters looking to keep us well informed about stories they felt we needed to know. Many cities were able to support multiple daily papers. When I was a kid, I delivered an afternoon paper before newspapers become synonymous with your breakfast coffee. No one wanted to wait until the next afternoon to get their news; it was too old by then. Today newspapers are disappearing from our landscape because the next morning is too long to wait to get our news when the Internet can give it to us immediately.
Cigarette companies have been in denial about the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer for decades. Newspapers were in denial about the impact of news over the Internet on their industry. Fast food is currently in denial about what could happen to their industry should obesity prevention become a national healthcare mantra.
What about your business? Have you considered how the growing economies in China and India are going to affect you? What shifts are in the works that could dramatically shift how you do business, or even make your organizations products and services obsolete?
Being prepared and understanding the impact of what is going to happen five years from now in your industry will give you time to make the needed adjustments to continue to serve customers in the way they want to receive your products.
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