Greetings tech enthusiasts! Today, we’re diving into a prevalent issue in the IT world – stubborn leadership. Those leaders who refuse to bend, who hold onto outdated ways of doing things and resist change.
So why does this matter? In an industry that’s constantly evolving and advancing, clinging to old methods can hold back growth and progress. Let’s take a look at two real-life examples of inflexible leadership in IT and the consequences that followed.
The first example is of Kodak, a company that was once a leader in the photography industry. However, their CEO, George Fisher, was convinced that film was the only way to take pictures and saw no reason to invest in digital technology. As a result, Kodak failed to adapt and was eventually overtaken by companies like Canon and Nikon who embraced digital photography. The result was Kodak filing for bankruptcy in 2012.
The second example is of Blackberry, a company that was once a leader in the smartphone market. Their CEO, Mike Lazaridis, was convinced that physical keyboards were the only way to go and saw no reason to embrace touch screens. As a result, Blackberry failed to keep up with competitors like Apple and Samsung who embraced touch screens, leading to a decline in market share and eventually Blackberry being forced to abandon the smartphone market.
This same inflexibility can be seen in sports, particularly in soccer, or as the rest of the world call it: football. Take Liverpool FC for example, under former manager Brendan Rodgers, the team was renowned for playing a very specific and rigid style of football. This inflexibility cost them important games, as opponents figured out how to defend against their fixed way of playing.
In conclusion, stubborn leadership can have dire consequences in the fast-paced and constantly evolving IT industry, as well as in sports. By embracing change and staying open to new ideas and strategies, leaders can help their organizations stay competitive and move forward. So let’s learn from the mistakes of the past and avoid being the inflexible IT titan or football team of the future.
