Disruption: Finding Opportunity in Changing Conditions

Pebble in the Pond

Feb 5

Over the past week, an ice storm swept through the area, cutting power, downing trees, cancelling schools, and quietly disrupting daily life.

On my morning walk, I noticed that the magnitude of fallen trees had reshaped the landscape.

Along a stretch of the McCabe golf course, some of the old branches that had always made a particular shot nearly impossible were simply gone. Come spring, golfers will stand on the fairway, look up, and say, “This shot is so much easier now.” What once felt like an obstacle has transformed, creating space they never imagined would open up.

A few hundred yards later, the opposite was true. Massive branches covered the walking path, forcing people to squeeze through a narrow passage. It was awkward and inconvenient. A path that once felt open and easy was now tight and uncertain.

That’s the paradox: the same disruption that creates unexpected ease can also introduce unexpected difficulty. In business, disruption often opens new opportunities while challenging long-standing ways of operating.

Three Reflections:

1. Disruption Removes Barriers

When something falls away, we see how much effort we were spending navigating around it. Maybe a competitor exits, a regulation changes, or a legacy process disappears. How might we move differently once it’s gone?

2. Disruption Creates Friction

Not every shift makes things easier. When familiar paths narrow or disappear, we’re pushed to slow down, make choices more intentionally, and experiment with better ways forward.

3. Disruption Clarifies Priorities

As conditions change, priorities sharpen. Some things prove essential. Others turn out to be legacy habits we can finally let go of. Disruption has a way of clarifying what truly matters.