Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Why Your Biggest Business Threat Might Be You

From Business Scholar to Fiction Author and Industry Insider, Lessons in Reinvention from the Front Lines of Personal and Organizational Disruption

In today’s fast-moving business world, we often repeat the mantra: “Disrupt or be disrupted.” But what does it truly mean? Is it just a buzzword, or a call to action many ignore at their peril?

For decades, disruption has loomed as an external threat—new startups, emerging technologies, shifting market dynamics. Yet what if the most profound form of disruption starts within? What if it’s not just your company that needs to evolve—but you?

Breaking Boundaries: From Comfort to Courage

As a tenured business school professor with positions at Cornell, Yale, London Business School, and UNC Chapel Hill—not to mention author of two business books and a consultant to C-suite executives—disruption felt like an abstract concept. A topic to teach. A case to analyze.

But disruption took on a new meaning when I stepped outside of my own comfort zone—twice.

First, I transitioned from a business writer to a fiction author, co-authoring Scarlett’s Revenge with David Edelheit—a fast-paced business thriller that teaches real-world strategy through corporate drama and an interactive online experience. I had never written fiction before.

Second, I made the reverse leap almost never seen in academia—leaving the ivory tower to join the leadership team of Knapp Capital Management, a bold and innovative real estate firm focused on exploiting market inefficiencies. This shift forced me to experience disruption not just as an observer, but as an insider.

What I learned from these bold pivots is simple: Disruption isn’t just something that happens to companies. It happens to individuals. And if you don’t initiate it, you’re likely to become its casualty.

Scarlett’s Revenge: A Fictional Mirror of Real Business Risks

In Scarlett’s Revenge, two former best friends become fierce business rivals. One character—Scarlett—sets out to destroy the other’s company from the inside. It’s a gripping what-if scenario: What if someone who knows all your weaknesses starts a well-funded competitor with the sole aim of putting you out of business?

It sounds like fiction. But it isn’t.

The story is based on real-world events and challenges that mirror companies like Kodak and Blockbuster—icons that ignored early warning signs and refused to adapt. Today, they are case studies in what happens when businesses fail to evolve.

Ten Commandments of Disruption: Lessons from the Edge

Whether you’re leading a company, launching a startup, or contemplating your next personal move, here are ten disruption truths that have shaped my journey—and could reshape yours:

1. Be Paranoid
   Intel’s Andy Grove said it best: Only the paranoid survive. Disruption often comes from within your ranks. Prepare accordingly.
2. Be Humble
   Recognize your blind spots. If you can’t see around the corners, find someone who can.
3. Disrupt Yourself
   Don’t wait for the market—or a rival—to force change. Your comfort zone might be your biggest threat.
4. Customer First
   Needs remain constant; solutions evolve. Focus on the problem your customer wants solved—not just the product you’ve built.
5. Focus Matters
   Trying to be everything for everyone is a recipe for mediocrity. Disruptors stay narrow and go deep.
6. Prioritize Ruthlessly
   Whether it’s customer segments or cost structure, focus your resources on what truly moves the needle.
7. Control What Matters
   Strategic control—owning a scarce asset or chokepoint—can create leverage and profitability across the value chain.
8. Align Incentives Vertically
   From supply chain to service delivery, align interests across your ecosystem to create seamless value.
9. Create a “Hamburger Problem”
   Hungry teams innovate. Complacent ones coast. Instill urgency and ownership throughout your organization.
10. Have a Canary in the Coal Mine
    Listen to the frontline. Designate someone to be the customer’s advocate—and take them seriously.

Simulation Meets Strategy: Disruption by Design

David Edelheit, co-author of Scarlett’s Revenge and creator of EY-Parthenon’s The Toughest Opponent, helps executives simulate what it feels like to be taken down by a merciless competitor. In his intensive sessions, leaders don the mindset of a rival determined to destroy their business. The experience is jarring—but transformational.

Leaders emerge with a clearer understanding of where they are vulnerable and how to evolve before they become obsolete.

Final Thoughts: The Call to Reinvention

Change is coming—whether we like it or not. The only question is whether we’ll lead it or respond to it too late.

Disruption is not a one-time project. It is a mindset, a discipline, and sometimes, a leap of faith. Whether through writing fiction, joining a new industry, or rethinking everything you thought you knew, the journey begins the moment you ask: