When the T-rex dies, nobody wins.

In the wild, when the apex predators disappear logic would dictate that it would be better for the animals lower on the food chain. The problem is that once the top of the food chain disappears the balance is gone and mass disruption happens. 

In business, there are T-rexes, sharks, dragons, griffins, and other powerful beasts that rule the status quo. The may stomp around, consume competitors, growl, and gnash teeth which can intimidate people, make them uncomfortable, or make them hide from the work. Late at night those individuals may even wish the T-rex would get fired or be thrown out because it would make work easier, the thing is they are wrong

Because what an apex predator does is keep other apex predators away. When they are gone a new apex predator can move in and likely have different priority or even a different diet of things they like to consume violently. You are seeing this happen at this moment in politics, in media, in transportation, in city infrastructure, and in heath care. When the established gets removed, change happens and in many cases that change is not good for those who are left in those ecosystems.

That said, change can benefit you, if you are prepared for it. If I might mix metaphors for a second when you are surfing or snowboarding you have a better chance to have a great run or grab a great wave if you are paying attention enough to change when the change happens. The problem when an apex predator goes is that those who are left just stand around paralyzed until something else takes over. This is not unlike the scene in Minions where they follow and kill evil boss after evil boss, moving from the next thing to the next thing mindlessly repeating that until unltimately the industry is gone. 

When Netflix ate Blockbuster video stores did not thrive, they became Redbox or abandon storefronts speckled throughout America. When Napster ate the music industry it was the final days of Rome for that industry. Yes, it has continued but never at the level it did before the internet came along. 

If you are in an industry, a company, a co-op and the T-rex goes - be prepared to adapt, to change, to move, because your world is going to change regardless of if you react or not. 

Eric HultgrenComment