In Seth Godin’s post today “Is everything okay?” he keenly speaks to business putting their energy towards making things okay (when things are not).
We spend so much time smoothing things out, we lose the opportunity for change, or for texture or creativity.
Instead of working so hard to make everything okay, perhaps it is more helpful to work hard at living with a world that rarely is
This differential is something that stems from a larger business mindset.
In business and industry, the differential is the space between what is happening in the marketplace and what your company is doing. Then ignoring it. As Mr. Godin points out, companies then focus on smoothing things out.
What they are trying to smooth out is the differential. If you identify, then ignore the differential in business, it grows. Grows like a field of green grass. A fertile landscape for new innovative companies and disintermediation to take root and grow.Examples of ignoring the differential are far and wide. The music industry did this for a decade.
Identifying the differential is what is important. Focus on what does work, and make that better.
Companies need do adapt and change with the changing landscape around them.
Ignoring the differential, then trying to smooth things out is clearly not the answer