Dealing with a Strategic Inflection Point: A Manager's Primer

According to Grove, there are three warning signs that companies must heed in order to recognize a possible 10x force. Monitoring these signs may be an organization's best weapon against the sneak attack of a strategic inflection point.

1. YOUR KEY COMPETITOR IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. The organization that you have long viewed as your primary competitor may no longer be the one that you should fear most. This may be an early warning that things are being shaken up and that significant change is in the offing.

2. YOUR PRIMARY "COMPLEMENTOR" IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. The company that has long been your most important ally may no longer be as important—in the marketplace or to you. If something is happening that is changing the competitive position of a supplier or strategic partner and that supplier or partner's importance to your company, it's possible that the same train is headed toward you.

3. MANAGEMENT'S ABILITY TO "GET IT" IS CHANGING. If members of the management team—including you—feel that they are out of touch with what is really going on out there, this is a clue that things out there may be changing at a faster rate than you anticipated.