Staying Relevant

Staying Relevant            

Here’s a concept I know we can all wrap our brains around – an important concept to grasp no matter our age or industry. Well, unless you are looking to retire and Wallydock around the country in your RV that is. Perhaps in that case, staying relevant may only be helpful for you to better understand your offspring.

Here is a question for the rest of us to ponder: What comes to mind when you think of a group, a brand, or a person that has sustained relevance for a long period of time?

For me:

  • Jesus
  • Green Day
  • LEGOS

It’s an odd list for sure and makes me laugh looking at it. But it’s what first pops into mind for me, and I just might be a little odd myself. And while my faith can be tested from time to time, I will not blaspheme by trying to draw any parallels with my Savior and Green Day, so we will focus on the latter two for our discussion here.

What are some commonalities when looking at those who have succeeded with longevity in relevance? There are concerns in many industries, especially with the introduction of more commonplace AI applications, that people will have a more difficult time than ever staying relevant in their careers. As I start to pay closer attention to this topic I endeavored to create a list of things that we can control to both reduce fear of irrelevance, and take bold steps forward to reduce the likelihood of that ill-fate.

This is a strategy to overcome many fears, really. Figure out areas where we have influence and can make things happen, and take action on these things instead of worrying about the things where we don’t have influence.

LEGO Group was founded in the 1930s by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a Danish carpenter. The original toys were wooden. In 1958 his son applied for the patent that would set the stage for the future and, in spite of serious growing pains, the company is now generating annual revenue north of $9 billion.

The band Green Day was formed in 1987. Their first album was released in 1990 and was titled 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. As a physical album it sold just 75,000 copies in the U.S. Since then, they have enjoyed success of their subsequent albums with worldwide sales + streaming (album equivalent units) to the tune of 92,160,000 units.

Let us look at some areas where we can take action to sustain our relevance:

  1. Stay focused on lifelong learning and personal development: Yes a common theme here, and this one is at the top of the list for good reason. Without this commitment, staying in touch with new developments, especially in technology, will suffer. Hanne Rasmussen, CEO of the LEGO Foundation says, “Children need to become lifelong learners….play and creativity are among key building blocks for this.” Well, we are older versions of the children she is referencing. So let’s apply this statement today – how can we grow, play, and innovate?
  2. Stay true to our roots: This is where some of us can have a bit of a challenge, especially since it seems contrary to the adaptable point below. When we talk about roots, we are talking about our Mission, our Vision, our Principles (MVP). Why do we exist? Right on the LEGO home page you will learn their:
    1. Mission: Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.
    2. Vision: A global force for Learning-through-Play.
    3. Principles/Values: Imagination, Fun, Creativity, Caring, Learning, Quality


They make business decisions that drive these forward. Our roots also include our belief systems and faith. Things we believe in our core that are worth preserving and even fighting for. They may evolve over time as we mature and grow in wisdom. What is our core, our foundation, and how good are we at managing the rest of this list around that?

  1. Be original/authentic: Billie Joe Armstrong is Green Day’s front man. He once quipped, “A man once asked me, what’s punk? I kicked over a trash can and said ‘That’s punk’. He kicked over a trash can and then asked me again, is that punk? I replied ‘No, that’s just trendy’.” Brilliant!
  2. Become more adaptable: While maintaining their punk rock roots, Green Day has also adapted their sound over time, incorporating elements of power pop, alternative rock, and even created a Broadway-style musical based on one of their albums. This is range, and it also blends nicely with our next point…
  1. Take risks: Another gem from Billie Joe, “The bigger the risks, the better off you are. Otherwise you’re just boring.” Ouch!
  1. Connect with customers: Green Day partnered with Jimmy Fallon to bring a concert into the NY Subway system. For years, they have brought lucky fans onstage to play along with some of their songs. LEGO has “LEGO Ideas” where fans can submit and vote on new set designs. They have LEGOLAND where kids and adults alike can interact with millions of LEGOs, sit in workshops to learn some of the terminology, and admire model cities built from the ubiquitous bricks (that still hurt when stepped on).
  1. Commit to hard work and accountability: When asked in 2014 about his role in the turnaround of LEGO from near failure, then CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp said, “It was about less talk and more action.” He describes the return to LEGO’s roots, how he and the executive team would go to the front lines of manufacturing and observe quality done right, commit to doing the right things right, and watch as the leadership team would post the effectiveness metrics of the team on a white board for all to see.
  1. Marketing innovation: LEGO is constantly creating new product lines, developing strategic partnerships with popular brands (Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter to name a few), and even brought characters to life through movie deals. These all point back to the core product, the roots of the success, the LEGO bricks. Still, this progress represents a huge leap from the days of standard LEGO sets where you had limited variety in shapes and colors. My son recently showed me a new set, where some of the characters and blocks had digital components which makes for a more dynamic experience, what LEGO is calling “hybrid play.”.

How might you apply some of these points as a consistent mode of operation so that relevance is never an issue for you?

What do you worry about that you have no control over, where if you spend less time worrying you might have more time to focus on these areas of influence?

What points might you add to our list above? Share and let’s GROW together!


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