Blockbuster is kind of the whipping boy of business schools these days. We all have a good chuckle at the thought that the CEO of Blockbuster laughed the Netflix founder out of their HQ's a decade ago. We feel a little bit better about ourselves upon hearing how they filed for Bankruptcy with their tail between their legs. Seriously though, who wants to drive to a retail location in hopes of renting a movie that might not even be there? Then have to drive back again the next day to return it; and if we forget, pay a fine? Sounds archaic and completely ridiculous doesn't it? Well we did it. All the time. And Blockbuster thrived. Until we didn't.
"How did they ignore the writing on the wall for so long?"
It's nice to feel like we know better, that type of thing would never happen to me. Right? But wait. It has happened to me before. It happens to us all the time. We all like to surround ourselves with familiar and safe things, the things we are good at and understand. Often to the detriment of our own growth and personal innovation.
What area of your life is your Blockbuster? Maybe you work at a company that is desperately clinging to the unraveling threads of a rapidly declining industry. Maybe you're still trying to sell option ARM mortgages (just kidding), maybe you're a typewriter mechanic. Perhaps you're clinging to an old skill set that's not in demand anymore. I don't know, it's not important. The point is, it's not too late to change course and be a Netflix, not a Blockbuster.
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