Paradigms are usually defined as patterns or archetypes. I prefer to think of them as a filter that we apply to our lives. We all have established paradigms, from the way we prefer to get ready for work, to the systems we have established in our daily lives. Mom has a favorite way to bake a cake while I have an established routine for getting ready for the weekly staff meeting. Try to change those paradigms and you will be met with resistance almost every time. Human beings love their paradigms; and that can be both good and bad.
Joel Barker is an author and speaker and he has produced a video about paradigms that I have always found fascinating. In that video, Mr. Barker describes how the Swiss watch-making industry dominated the watch-making business for hundreds of years, owning over ninety percent of the market for most of that time. However, in the mid twentieth century, that dominance began to change. At a watch convention in Dallas, Texas, one of the Swiss watch-making companies displayed a new type of watch, the digital display and an American company, Texas Instruments, became interested and bought the patent. This Swiss watch-making company, that had invented this new type of watch, saw so little potential in it that they almost gave away that patent. The rest, as they say, is history. Texas Instruments saw the potential in that watch and in a very short period of time, the digital watch dominated the market; leaving the Swiss with a market share of less than ten percent. How could the Swiss not see that this new type of watch was the wave of the future? The answer is that it did not fit their paradigm of what a watch should be and look like. They were so invested in the old way of doing business that they were literally blind to the future, and as such, lost both the market and their way of doing business that had been so successful for hundreds of years.
Paradigms are like that, they can blind you to new opportunities and new systems. While paradigms can also be useful; they make things easier by establishing rules and regulations for behaviors, they can also lead us astray when we see opportunities and immediately dismiss them because they do not fit our old paradigm of how things should be. I can think of many companies today that are now either out of business, or heading that way, because they failed to see a new paradigm approaching. Blockbuster is just one example. Blockbuster failed to understand that people simply did not like having to return their rented videos and when another option became available, that allowed easy return through the mail, the paradigm began to shift and Blockbuster’s demise had begun. Streaming could well be the next paradigm shift in that industry and we should all be prepared when viewing over the internet is the most common option for watching movies and shows.
Paradigms can sometimes force us to cling passionately to our old patterns and beliefs, even though evidence is rapidly growing that the old paradigm has begun to fail. We need to be constantly alert to the time when our old paradigm is shifting and be ready to embrace the new and often better, paradigm of the future. People have become wealthy when they are the first to recognize the new way of doing things. Of course, these “paradigm pioneers” as Barker calls them, are frequently thought of as crazy or fanatical. To be a paradigm pioneer requires great courage and belief in yourself; because at the beginning of a paradigm shift, most evidence does not support your new paradigm. You need to be strong in your belief, as well as determined in your approach as you embrace your new paradigm. Yet, if this new system is as improved over the old as you believe it will be, you will ultimately be rewarded for your convictions. Steve Jobs had this belief, and so did Bill Gates and their contributions will be remembered for centuries to come. They also certainly benefited financially for their determination.
Most people cling to their old paradigms, it seems to be the natural order of things. The few brave people who discover and implement new paradigms, however, are the folks who truly change our world and our society. Discover your own paradigms and live your lives looking toward the future, not clinging nervously to the past. It is far more fun to be the “Lead Dog” because, if you are not, as the saying goes, the view never changes. Be a paradigm pioneer; it truly will make a difference in your life, as well as the lives of many others.