Ditch being disruptive, collaboration is the new black

Fast Company design recently reported on how smartwatches will never disrupt as much as smart phones. The article makes a case for how wearable devices will never see the amount of popularity as mobile phones, because the technology and the appetite isn't there. 

In a rebuttal of sorts, WSJ reported on what it looks like when a handful of Olympic hopefuls wore a Fitbit for a week. Fascinating.

Regardless of whether or not you think all wearables are for "fitness freaks" alone, you have to agree with two things; the weeklong trial had some pretty cool results PLUS let's face it; disruption is dead. Corporate speak may come and go, but lets face it, the very idea of being disruptive has enjoyed newfound fame in the digital and social realm. It's all over Linkedin as a primary profile descriptor. It's embedded on job boards as a requirement for out-of-the-box thinkers who know the industry capabilities enough to push forward into new chartered territory. It's especially popular among middle grade CMO-level executives who are surprised and delighted that they made it that far in a career built mostly on going with the flow. So, really, we are not talking about disruptions the way disruption really happens.

Martin Luther King was a disruptor. Gloria Steinem was a disruptor. Agree with him or not, Edward Snowden is a disruptor. Aaron Swartz was a disruptor. Mark Cuban and Richard Branson are a couple of disruptors. For reasons I'm sure he is somewhat ashamed to admit, Mike Tyson is a disruptor. Good or bad, disruption occurs when everyone takes notice of how things were not done according to the norm. So this pesky little trend to label a person, place or thing as authentically 'disruptive' is really more about damaging the definition of being truly disruptive. 

You know who else endures their unfair share amount of disruptions? The average parent. Try taking an unruly kid to the doctor, the grocery store or hell, even to school on time while you ready for your own day. Dare, if you may, packing up a bag full of snacks, toys, books, prizes for a short car trip or a meal at a friendly local restaurant. There is a good chance you will witness the same kind of disruption as when baby Jesus himself parted the Red Sea. 

Taste that kind of disruption and you will agree; collaboration is the new black.