Inately, humans are lazy. Not the negative definition that is overplayed but that we’re tempted to take the easiest route possible to achieve our goal. Examples? Online shopping vs. in-store, downloading music instead of buying the album, Tindering vs. talking to real people, listening instead of talking. After observing humans for 25 years and now companies for the past 3 years, I think both are inclined to get lazy. Human in their relationships, companies in business.

Examples? Forgetting to stay in touch with your friends abroad because you have friends right here in town, becoming predictable in a romantic relationship, taking a reactive role at your job and just going through the motions, Dell computers making their personalized laptops for a decade and thinking they’re still competitive b/c “why change a good thing?” and IBM becoming so stubborn in their line of business they miss the entire personal computer revolution. Humans and companies get comfortable and that’s where danger resides. What happens? We forget to lead because it’s easier to follow. 

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” -Steve Jobs

JK