The Landmark Blog

Adapt or Die - Happy Holidays!

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As brutal as this sounds, I'm a firm believer in the business mantra "Adapt or Die".  Charles Darwin's statement "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change" gives me great hope. 

Those of you who know me, probably have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the strongest, fastest, smartest guy around...I can certainly hold my own, but I haven't evolved (or been evolved on) into the "Six Million Dollar Man".  "Steve Austin astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen we can rebuild him...

We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man.  Better than he was before. Better stronger faster." (What was that sound he made when he ran ..ck ..ck ..ck ..ck ..ck ..ck ..ck?  And what's with the Sasquatch in the picture?  Apparently he had a difficult time adapting.  I haven't seen him walking the streets of Salt Lake).  

As a manager, I work very hard to adapt to changes in the business world.  As a market research group, our company is fascinated with market research technology, business and technology evolution, and obsessive in our attempts to stay on top of changes to the market research industry...As well we should be. 

This important business principle was re-emphasized to me on a recent drive home.  I'm an avid listener of a local "alternative" radio station.  I've been listening to it for a number of years.  They pride themselves as being a little edgy...not goth or emo edgy...but "I've got a 9 to 5 job but haven't sold out to 'THE MAN' edgy."  After Thanksgiving, this radio station added Holiday music to their lineup.  It is absolutely surreal to listen to.  Every fifteen minutes you'll hear a song like "Jingle Bells" by the Barenaked Ladies followed by Muse's "Uprising" or the "Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby followed by "Panic" by The Smiths.  One of their recent radio spots pointed out that during the Holiday season, they lose all of their listeners to two local stations that play all Holiday music all the time.  I'll be interested to know if this stations adaptation to their play-list is repeated next year.  I don't recall any holiday music on the station in previous years (unless you count the Chanukah Song & the Chanukah Song Part II & the Chanukah Song Part III all by Adam Sandler).

As strange as it is, this radio station has learned something that as business people and managers of market research projects and market research groups, we should all remember...Don't work yourself out of business by not responding to evolving expectation and need.  As an industry, we seem to be at an evolutionary stage in the market research process

(evolutionary...not revolutionary).  Much as the Jackalope evolved in nature, it's important that each of us keep up and evolve by adapting to changes in our environment.  

So, how do we adapt?  Here are a few suggestions.  

• Know and understand what is evolving.  Do you monitor changes in the market research industry?  Do you monitor technology evolution?  Do you connect the dots between the evolution of technology and how it COULD effect market research?  If your answer here is that "I don't have enough time for that..."  My answer to you is that you don't have enough time to NOT look around you and figure out what is changing.  If you don't take this step your time is limited.
• Have an evolutionary plan and know what makes you different.  Adapting and evolving does not require a revolutionary change to your core businesses or services.  It requires that you think out of the box for ways to expand what you are an expert in.  Know what makes you different, expand your expertise and plan to move from point A to point B.
• Implement the plan.  It's fine to plan on things.  Without action, planning is inadequate.  Do you find that you are constantly saying, "we have a plan for that?"  Has your "plan for that" gone on for years, with limited or no progress?  Have a plan of action that is timeline based.  If you don't meet the timeline, know why and know how to fix it.
• Adopt the change.  There is a difference between adapting and adopting.  Companies miss opportunities because their staff are unwilling or unable to adopt the adaptation that's been implemented.  Many of the best implementations fall short right at the end.  Robert Burns said, "The best plans of men and mice often go awry".  I believe they often go awry because they aren't adopted after they are adapted.

So here are the questions I wonder about...but nobody ever answers.

• Do you know the back-story behind the Sasquatch in the Six Million Dollar Man? 
• Have you ever seen a Jackalope?
• Do you have other suggestions for implementing evolutionary change?