I have often played Ludo with my kids when they were young. What do you think they did if they could not win the game?
“You lost” – I told once to the younger one. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, and laughed:
“No, because I can roll twice!”
“But in Ludo the rule is different!” – I wondered.
“That’s a new rule, and now I can.” – she smiled.
Have you realized that kids act the way we tend to have forgotten? Kids focus on the outcome, and change the rules, if necessary.
It is not different in the business world either: telecom companies are prime examples. Today schools, shops, restaurants need to rethink their business, how they still can provide the value for their customers, within the changed circumstances.
Of course, this needs a preparation: you must define your business you are in wisely. You should always define it by the value it delivers, by the customer-needs it serves, and by the segment you address. This way if the underlying products decline you can still stay in business.
One thing I tell my clients is that whenever they feel forced to play a game they cannot win, they shall not be afraid of changing its rules, or even better: to change the entire game.