The Breakthrough Manifesto

One of the most common human phobias is the fear of heights.³⁸ Standing on the edge of a sheer drop—even watching someone else stand on an edge—can cause visceral discomfort. A precipice is a literal transition point between security and risk, between known and uncertain, between stasis and movement. And although you may rarely find yourself on an actual cliff's edge, a similar edge exists metaphorically when you're poised between the status quo and change. Though that edge may not seem as scary as an actual abyss, you might be equally reluctant to toe it.

We've already mentioned the status quo bias—human beings have a preference for the ways things currently are—a predilection popularized by Daniel Kahneman, Jack Knetsch, and Richard Thaler in their work on behavioral economics.³⁹ This desire may be rational, keeping you in a secure space, but it can also be irrational, causing you to stay in a rut that may be contrary to your best interests or that may not push you to your full potential. And certainly, when it comes to breakthrough thinking, such inertia can be problematic. There's a reason for the old adage, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Consider the company Fujifilm, for instance, who was seeing growth and profitability in the physical film space even as digital ...