In the opening scene of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the familiar characters are in position on the deck of the USS Enterprise: McCoy, Sulu, Uhura and Spock. All present except Kirk. There is a new captain in charge. Computer voices start to break out, controls are franticly and the ominous sight of Klingons start to fill the screens. The Enterprise is a sitting duck and they start to come in for the kill. All are doomed !
Suddenly a door swishes open and Kirk ( now an Admiral ) walks in to bring what we now realise is a training exercise to an end. As the film progresses hints are given that Kirk was the only person to have beat the simulated test. When he is facing what looks like his demise he is asked “How?”Kirk replied “I reprogrammed the simulation so that it was possible to rescue the ship”. He went on “I changed the condition of the test”. Kirk changed the rules of the game.
Back here on Earth, the history of business turns on people who have changed the rules. There are many rule changers and my list includes Henry Ford who developed the assembly line, which broke with the craft approach to production, and brought high value goods to the mass markets. The list would also include Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, which has radically changed the way that we shop, breaking with the tradition of the high street and bringing goods to our doorsteps. However, sometimes the most influential rule changers don’t require incredible advances in technology. In 1956 Malcolm McLean developed a large standardised box and created the shipping container which radically changed the transportation of goods around the world. Containerisation is still growing by 11% a year. Many more names could be added: Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Ray Kroc, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and so on ( I’m sure that you have your own list which could include Scientists, Engineers, Artists, Musicians …).
But what is the makeup of a rule changer ? They have some of the following characteristics:
- Intuition - have a sense of the wider business environment and the rules that are holding it together. They can identify which rules need to be changed to improve the market for their goods and services.
- Courage - an ability to stand up to the crowd and are not frightened to risk their own security to achieve their aims.
- Drive - filled with indestructible determination to achieve the changes that they went to make.
In Star Trek II, Kirk “received a commendation for original thinking” for reprogramming the training simulator so that he could beat the test. The people that change the rules of business have shown that they have the characteristics to ‘reprogram’ the business world. So what business rules are holding you back ? - how will you reprogram the rules so that you will succeed ?