Most of the folks I work with are interested in growth - building better teams, more efficient systems, more successful companies.
The smartest leaders, I've learned, recognize that growth isn't just about building - sometimes first it involves breaking.
They don’t wait for a crisis to force change. They proactively take apart their workflows, systems, and assumptions - not because they’re broken, but because better is always possible.
If You Never Break It, You’ll Never See How to Make It Better
I recently saw and interview with Japanese designer Minori, who is famous for her intricate, handcrafted garments. When she was asked about her process she said,
“I take clothes apart to understand how they’re made, then I remake them in a way I think is better.”
So simple, but I love it!
It’s a practice found across disciplines:
Chefs deconstruct recipes to refine flavors.
Engineers break machines to find weak points.
Magicians dissect tricks to improve them.
It's easier said than done, like most things. And sometimes leaders are terrified of breaking things that seem to work.
They avoid messing with a process, a product, or a structure - until they’re forced to. The adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it" is a compelling reason for status quo among these folks.
The problem is that change is accelerating and disruption is daily. Status quo systems and practices might leave us in the lurch.
The best time to break and rebuild isn’t when something is failing, but, counterintuitively, when it’s still working.
How to Break Things (Without Breaking Everything)
Reinvention doesn’t mean reckless destruction. The goal isn’t to tear down for the sake of it but to rebuild smarter.
Here’s how to do it intentionally:
1. Start With the Assumption That You’re Wrong
Instead of asking, “Is this working?” ask:
“Where is this failing and I don’t see it yet?”
“If I had to start from scratch today, would I build it this way?”
"What are we missing here?"
This mindset shift forces you to see flaws and gaps before they become problems.
2. Pick Something to Deconstruct - And Take It Apart
Choose one system, habit, or process in your business and break it down.
A workflow. (Where are the bottlenecks?)
A decision-making process. (Is it efficient, or just familiar?)
A revenue model. (Is it maximizing potential, or coasting?)
Reverse-engineer how it works. Find the outdated parts. Then rebuild.
3. Borrow a Better Blueprint
If you only analyze your own work, you’ll only ever make small improvements. The biggest breakthroughs sometimes come from stealing insights from other industries:
How does a streaming platform keep people engaged - and how could you apply that to customer retention?
How does a basketball coach build high-performing teams - and what lessons could improve your leadership?
By breaking down the work of others you'll gain valuable ideas to apply in your own quest for reinvention.
Final Thought: If You’re Not Breaking, You’re Falling Behind
Leaders who wait until something is broken to fix it don’t survive disruption. The ones who break and remake on purpose stay ahead.
The only question is: What’s the first thing you need to take apart?
تعليقات