Reinvent to Stay Relevant: Why Icons Must Disrupt Themselves Before Rivals Do

Long-lasting organizations, communities, and even people rarely thrive by sticking rigidly to yesterday’s patterns. Academic research on ‘creative destruction’—a term from economics that describes how progress happens when old models are broken—shows that icons that endure are those that disrupt themselves before necessity or competition can topple them.

Take major cultural touchstones: beloved bands, household brands, global cities. Their continued relevance hinges not on preserving everything from their heyday but on periodic, self-driven change. Each reinvents the core experience—sometimes just before, sometimes in response to, big external shifts. In business, this looks like a coffee company rethinking its menu and technology to match emerging habits, or an electronics firm embracing devices that render its previous bestsellers obsolete. In the arts, it’s the guitarist experimenting with electronic beats instead of repeating the same riffs year after year.

Social science studies confirm that organizations and individuals who disrupt themselves show stronger resilience, attract more diverse talent, and respond faster to challenges. The catch? It often feels uncomfortable; insiders may resist, and the payoff is never instant. The most successful leaders intentionally build disruption into their calendars and cultures—not only when under fire but when all feels well.

No matter your field, role, or routine, plan times to deliberately break and rebuild parts of your world. That way, reinvention becomes a source of energy, not a response to a crisis.

Whether at work, school, or home, try setting aside a regular slot for everyone to suggest ways of shaking things up—even if just for a day or week. Bring ideas from totally unrelated spaces or industries, and let new voices lead. Pick one change that feels a little uncomfortable and test it fully. Maybe it works, maybe it’s a flop, but what matters is developing muscles for positive self-disruption. Afterwards, talk about what you learned and look for signs of new excitement or energy. By making reinvention a tradition, you make sure you don’t get left behind when the world changes around you—because you’re already moving forward by choice.