Disruption: Dominate, Or Be DeletedHere is a basic checklist to help guide your disruptive spirit for your business enterprise.

ByJohan Hanekom

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Disruption was the buzzword for 2016 in business schools, the media, and most social circles.

Large, bureaucratic organizations yearned tobe more agile, whilst smaller flat organizations relished in the hope that they might be the next Uber or Airbnb of their industry. To disrupt was to dominate.

Amidst the hype of being anti-establishment and non-conformist, it's worthwhile to remind ourselves that being disruptive in and of itself offers little to no value.

Uber may have disrupted the transport industry but they did soby creating value to customersin the form of on-demand transport. Airbnb likewise strived to connect empty spaces in people's homes with those seeking short-term accommodation– thereby creating value.

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Likewise, if your aspiring unicorn idea wants todisrupt for example the fast food sector, you need to identify the value proposition to your customer base that will lead to mass adoption. Delivering fast food dressed as super heroes may be disruptive but does not really add value– albeit entertaining no doubt.

Here is a basic checklist to help guide your disruptive spirit:

1. Who are the red herrings in my industryIt's safe to say that the majority of broad industry categories have either seen the rise of a disruptor or experienced the introduction of one. Determine whether your disruption will have enough impact tomake yourself stand out as the disruptor in your industry. Disruption is about dominating an industry, not merely occupying a market sector.

2. Disruption can be mainstreamThat's right. I'm sure you can think of a dozen industries in which offering exceptional customer service will be a massive disruption to the industry norms. Or what about offering 100% money back guarantee– but actually offering it? As consumers we've grown increasingly skeptical of companies claiming to be the best thing next to sliced bread. Perhaps it's an opportunity to disrupt by simplydoing what you promise your customers. Be fresh, not stale.

3. If it ain't broke, break it, and then fix it如果你是一个真正的纯粹主义者,然后看看范例的前女友its in your industry that are ready to be challenged. Throw yourself in the deep end with an ambitious notion, kick the hornets' nest and see what anomaly occurs as a result. Don't throw a pebble, throw a boulder and see what ripples you create.

也许这将是明智的disrup带回来tion and call it what it really is–visionary leadership guided by a spirit of true innovation. To this end individuals like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos are the quintessential disruptors. They were disrupting before it even had a catchy name. That is the essence of the entrepreneur– the often solitary voice who notices an enormous pivot point to change the way business is done and how we conduct our daily lives.

Related:Business Takeaways From Four UAE Startups That Raised Serious Venture Capital

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Johan Hanekom is a globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and growth with an emphasis on corporate entrepreneurship. A believer in social entrepreneurship, his paper while at Oxford focused on developing a nation of social entrepreneurs in Africa. Johan can be reached on Twitter@johanhanekom.

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