Dave Gibbons in The Monkey and The Fish illustrates how essential it is to adapt to changing times. He does so with the help of the kiwi – that moist, fuzzy fruit that is originally from New Zealand. It used to be something that mainly New Zealanders enjoyed. But by the mid-1980’s, the kiwi had become a worldwide hit.
It had grown to a 2.5 billion dollar industry. That’s a pretty amazing piece of fruit. Besides the financial piece, the kiwi was a national symbol for New Zealand. It helped to fuel a lucrative travel and tourism industry in New Zealand. New Zealanders even became knows as Kiwis.
New Zealand had become the kiwi capital of the planet. It was the exclusive kiwi exporter throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. But in the 1990’s, kiwi growers began springing up in other nations, and began taking a portion of the kiwi market. They posed a threat to New Zealand’s economy along with its culture and identity.
What they did next was critical to survival. They recognized the world had changed. They didn’t know what strategies to embrace, but they knew they wanted to continue to enjoy the kiwi benefits. They ended up tapping into some pretty novel horticultural science and technology. They started some new partnerships and collaborations. They started doing things differently.
Today you can get kiwis that don’t look like a traditional kiwi or taste like a traditional kiwi. You can get a variety of kiwi colors, not just green. You can get different tang and sweetness. You can get them from new places around the world, because New Zealand farmers and producers had the foresight to grant collaborative licenses to people who otherwise would have become competitors.
The results have been pretty amazing. The new versions of kiwi have helped return New Zealand to the place of preeminent kiwi producer.
I am fascinated by stories like this of change and innovation. In many areas of influence, you change or you lose market share. You lose market share, and you become obsolete. Complacency can be lethal.
“In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” -Warren Buffett
Isaiah 43:9 (New International Version) “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” What is the new thing you ought to be considering? It is a new day with new opportunities.
Glen Schneiders
