Too Smart to Fail? - by Gus Balbontin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

How can a company with the smartest people in the world and access to all the resources they could ever need become irrelevant? If it can happen to Nokia, Kodak and Blockbuster, it can certainly happen to Apple, Google or Netflix. Who's next? In this book, alternative futurist, investor and entrepreneur, Gus Balbontin offers an alternative explanation for why this phenomenon keeps happening, and why it's so difficult to avoid.

Gus's explanation is counterintuitive; the future is arriving at our doorstep faster than we are able to let go of the present. Instead of pulling the future towards us, we are busy trying to hold on to increasingly irrelevant presents, creating a false sense of certainty with an obvious expiry date. Balbontin explores the power of engineering novelty into our lives, and focusing less on implementation and more on explementation (the opposite). If you can't let go of your wardrobe, it is unlikely you and your business will be able to let go of the process, the system, the product or the culture that is holding them back.

The world is becoming more and more unpredictable, and we all need to learn to succeed through uncertainty. Too Smart to Fail? offers an alternative view of the problem and an unexpected solution: embrace the discomfort of incompetence to increase your tolerance to change. Based in part on the author's own experience as Executive Director, leading the restructure that kept travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet afloat, this innovative and entertaining book shares a proven approach to avoiding irrelevance.

About the Author

Whether on stage or in boardrooms, Gus's message is clear: focus on what you can control today to prepare for whatever the future brings. Often called an 'alternative futurist', Gus doesn't claim to predict what's ahead, he helps you prepare for it.

Born and bred in wild Patagonia, Gus Balbontin never allowed his small town and humble beginnings to get in the way of his big dreams. With a healthy disrespect for authority and a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out), Gus arrived in Australia at the young age of 17. By the age of 22, he had dropped out of university, hitchhiked around South America, set up his first business and landed his dream job at travel publisher Lonely Planet. Fast forward a few years and he was leading the company globally, working with companies such as Google X, Nokia and Amazon on the latest technology, creative cultures and high performing teams.

Seeking a change from corporate life, he left his role as Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet and decided to move back to his entrepreneurial roots, becoming an investor, founder and mentor across the start-up ecosystem in Australia. Gus loves sharing a story and knowing his stories make a difference to people in their own business and life.