By the late 1800’s the earliest record players, called phonographs, were being used in homes. This was a disruptive piece of technology. For the first time in human history music could be heard without a live musician, whenever you wanted to play it. This innovation was game-changing not just for people who enjoyed music. It opened an entirely new business model for musicians. So, it might surprise you to discover most musicians hated the phonograph. They saw it as a threat to their livelihood. Some feared it was an attack on the very soul of music.
Change introduces both opportunity and risk. The opportunity embedded in disruptive change is often obscured by uncertainty, which produces anxiety. Anxiety amplifies the downside of risk, especially when it is perceived as involuntary. It’s like a heavy fog that shuts down an airport. Uncertainty and anxiety trigger the classic reaction to new ideas, fear, delay, confusion, or attack. The best way to burn off the fog of uncertainty is to shift your attention from long term consequences to short term action with one simple question, which is the focus of this month’s vlog.
