You are either stopped in one place in your business or moving toward another—and you do not know how to change course. This is the tyranny of inertia, and it destroys more businesses than any competitor ever could.
The Invisible Force Holding Your Business Back
Inertia is not just a physics concept—it is one of the most dangerous forces in business. It is the tendency to keep doing what you have always done, even when the world around you has fundamentally changed.
As discussed on The Buck Stops Here podcast, we are now experiencing a century worth of technological advancement compressed into just a few years. Eighty percent of businesses will be impacted by artificial intelligence over the next 18 months. Thirty percent will be fundamentally restructured.
The question is: will your business adapt, or will inertia keep you on a collision course with obsolescence?
The Dangerous Comfort of “We Have Always Done It This Way”
How many times have you heard—or said—these words?
- “Why do you use this vendor?” — “We have always used this company.”
- “Why is this process so complicated?” — “That is just how we do things here.”
- “Have you considered a different approach?” — “This is what works for us.”
These responses are symptoms of inertia. They represent an unwillingness—or inability—to question whether yesterday is solutions still serve tomorrow is challenges.
Separating Sacred Values from Outdated Practices
Not everything should change. Every organization has core values that define who they are—typically five to seven essential principles that should remain constant regardless of market conditions.
But core values are different from operational practices. The mistake many businesses make is treating everything as sacred when only a few things truly are.
Ask yourself:
- What are our non-negotiable values?
- What practices exist simply because they always have?
- Which vendors, processes, or approaches have we never questioned?
The Pandemic Lesson We Are Already Forgetting
The pandemic forced companies to adopt remote work virtually overnight. Many discovered unexpected competitive advantages: access to broader talent pools, reduced overhead, increased productivity, and improved employee satisfaction.
Yet as conditions normalized, many companies rushed back to traditional office models. Why? Often because of sunk costs in physical infrastructure and a yearning for the familiar—classic symptoms of inertia.
The companies that thrived were not those that snapped back to pre-pandemic norms. They were the ones that asked: “What did we learn, and how do we build on it?”
Breaking Free: A Practical Framework
Overcoming inertia requires deliberate action. Here is a framework to get started:
- Identify your core values: Write down 5-7 principles that define your organization—these are sacred
- Audit everything else: List your technology providers, processes, vendors, and approaches
- Challenge assumptions: For each item, ask “Why do we do it this way?” and “Is there a better option?”
- Create a pros and cons analysis: For any major decision, document the trade-offs honestly
- Solicit team feedback: Ask employees what you should start, stop, and continue doing
The 18-Month Window
Artificial intelligence is not a distant future—it is arriving now. Over the next 18-24 months, the businesses that survive will be those that learned from the pandemic: embrace change deliberately rather than resisting it reflexively.
The tyranny of inertia is real. But it can be overcome—if you choose to act before the choice is made for you.
This article is based on the Season 2 Finale of The Buck Stops Here podcast: “The Tyranny of Inertia.”