Five Lessons I Learned From Disrupting My Own Company

And how you can’t survive without them.

The process of disrupting my own company was a long, painful process. It paid huge dividends and we are miles ahead of the competition, but we had to pay the price first. To help you in your own transformation, here are five things I learned during that time.

Be honest. It will hurt. 

You are allowed to be proud of what you’ve built while simultaneously knowing that it has to be torn down and rebuilt. If you wanted to build your dream house on the property where your current house exists, you’d have to call in the wrecking ball. But you wouldn’t stand there tearing down all the amazing moments and memories you made in that house. It doesn’t mean the first house was a mistake.

Treat your business the same way. Honor what you’ve built. Acknowledge you did the absolute best you could with the information that was available at the time. 

But the world will change. So when you’re struggling to keep up, step back. Get real. What doesn’t work? What are you doing just because that’s the way you’ve always done it? What is aggravating your team? Your clients? What isn’t serving your current goals as a leader? If you ask yourself all the tough questions and get brutally honest with the answers, your next steps will become clear, and you’ll find the convictions you need to be a disruptor. 

Clarity before feedback. 

One of the most fundamental qualities in a leader is the ability to be decisive, but we chip away at our decisiveness when we give into the impulse to constantly workshop our ideas, or seek other people’s permission or approval. 

Be crystal clear on what you want to build before tapping your network of trusted colleagues, peers, and mentors. This will not only fortify your idea against the inevitable confidence-rattling opinions, it will also help you make much more strategic use of your network. You will know exactly who should advise you on each part of your plan, and exactly what to ask them. You’ll pick up huge momentum moving forward if you stop asking everyone for feedback. 

You are not alone. 

When I disrupted my business, I was, in a way, thumbing my nose at the big agency model. I felt like it was an insult to my colleagues and the people I admired. I didn’t want to tell them the harsh truths I’d discovered about everything we were doing wrong. I felt vulnerable -- like I was poking the bear. I was. 

That’s what disruption feels like. 

In truth, here’s what it’s really like: it’s like being the person who objects at a wedding where nobody wants the bride and groom to get married. If you know your business or industry needs disrupting, more than likely other people do to. And chances are, they’ll want to thank you, and hear more about what you’re doing. All it takes is one person to speak up and others will join in.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. 

On the outside, disruption is exciting. We’re all following the latest industry shakeups and individual way-forgers with interest and enthusiasm. We love watching Neil Armstrong land on the moon, but not the hard work, long hours, and struggles during the years before. From the inside, disruption is uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be. That discomfort is what separates the leaders from the followers. That discomfort and vulnerability is where the good stuff happens. 

There will be learning curves and growing pains. Embrace them. Skip the outward blame and the inner criticism and go straight to “what am I supposed to learn from this?” What needs to be tweaked? How can I use this to improve? Don’t get stuck in self-doubt. 

Use your discomfort to fuel your momentum and separate yourself from mediocrity.

Don’t defend it. Prove it. 

At the end of the day, disruption is poking the bear. Whether you’re Warby Parker taking on the eyeglass industry, or Uber disrupting the way we understand transportation, there will be no shortage of challengers and critics. It is no small hurdle when it comes to educating your audience about your new idea. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. 

You have a finite amount of time and energy. If you invest it defending your idea, the return on your investment will likely be more opportunities to defend your idea. If you invest your time proving that what you’re doing can and will work, who knows? You might just build an empire. 

Yahoo defended their business into the ground. Google proved their ideas in the market.

In today’s world of fast-paced change, disruption has become the norm; it means survival. If you look at last year and recognize the same company you have today, then you can be sure you are falling behind. Don’t spend your time thinking about what things you can do differently, think about what things you can be differently.

Then you’ll be disruptive. Then you’ll be successful.