Creative Destruction

We need more, not less.

Creation often requires destruction.

I didn't make that up; it's part of the laws of the physical universe.

Life itself comes from the stuff of dying stars, exploding suns.

After forests burn, new life emerges on the forest floor that nurtures an entire ecosystem.

So what can our business learn from this natural law?

Pouring resources, whether human talent or scarce financial reserves, into projects that by their very nature are limited, are not transformational, comes from a fear of failure.

It's easy to see this when our own ego isn't exposed (think Afghanistan, or HD radio) but much tougher when killing one of our brilliant ideas.

I've read that part of the genius of Steve Jobs was his ability to kill projects he had created, funded, and believed in -- until he didn't. Until he realized the idea wasn't transformational.

Do you have someone on your team with that kind of courage?

Is there someone in your company so unafraid of the consequences that s/he will speak up and kill an idea that is wasting valuable time and money?

I hope so.