Innovate, Adapt and Prepare to Fail Forward

Innovation doesn’t come naturally to human beings, according to Stephen Shapiro, author and keynote presenter at this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC).

Referring to the work of Charles Darwin, Shapiro noted that human evolution is not driven by survival of the fittest. Instead, it’s all about adaptability, the ability to change. This has a direct parallel to business survival today.

He noted that Sears was once ten times the size of Wal Mart, but is now a shell of its former self. Pan Am was once the number one airline in the west, but failed. Howard Johnson’s restaurants were once everywhere, but not anymore. Closer to home, Schwinn went from prominence to relative obscurity.

All were once robust companies at the top of their games. They failed to adapt in various ways and for various reasons, relying on solutions that had worked in the past and being sure of their own expertise. “Expertise,” Shapiro noted, “is the enemy of innovation.” Or, in the words of