What Got You Here Could Be What’s Holding You Back

You’ve probably heard the story that Kodak invented the digital camera.

They had the patents. They had the prototypes. They saw the future.

But.. they buried it.

Why? Not because they didn’t believe in it – but because it didn’t fit their business model. Digital cameras were low-margin and threatened film sales. At the time, Kodak’s most loyal and profitable customers weren’t asking for digital.

So they made the rational choice and passed on the opportunity.

This is the essence of what Harvard professor Clayton Christensen called The Innovator’s Dilemma: when the very logic that drives success today becomes the reason you miss tomorrow.

It’s not that leaders don’t see the future. It’s that they can’t justify acting on it – until it’s too late.

But this isn’t just a corporate problem.

The biggest risk to your business might not be AI. Or some new competitor. Or a flood of cheap content.

Ironically, it could be that the fact that what you’re doing now is.

You’ve built a strong reputation. A proven offer. Clients that come back. Your model has structure, predictability, and a track record.

So when new ways of delivering expertise emerge – smarter, faster, more scalable – it’s easy to see them as interesting but not yet.

The expert’s version of the Innovator’s Dilemma is what we call the Sage’s Cage.

It’s not a lack of insight. It’s not fear. It’s not complacency.

It’s the quiet logic that says:

“This doesn’t serve my best clients.”
“This isn’t how we’ve always delivered value.”
“This isn’t what people are paying for.”

And it’s right – until it’s not.

Because while you’re busy optimising what works today, someone else is building the model that will reshape expectations tomorrow.

And they won’t have to “sell” it. They’ll simply deliver better, faster, more relevant experiences – and your audience will move with it.

Why This Matters Now

I think it’s fair to say we’re living through something of a reset. Economically, politically, socially, technologically.

On the tech front, AI is upending how expertise is accessed, delivered, and valued. The tools of scale, once reserved for the few, are now available to everyone. Pretenders can look polished, without much effort.

But real expertise still matters – more than ever.

The challenge is no longer what you know. It’s how you deliver it.

And that’s the real risk. Not that AI replaces experts, but that experts get drowned out because they fail to adapt.

So… Does This Feel Familiar?

Does this feel like where you are? Does the sage cage strike a chord?

Still delivering great work. Still booked. Still respected. But quietly aware that what made you successful might not carry you through the next wave.

Maybe the opportunity is AI. Maybe it’s something else entirely.

But the bigger question is: how are you preparing for what’s next?