If we try a new tactic, it might not work. It might be too early, too late, too expensive, too small a market, you name it. We might mess up the execution or spend too much money to possibly earn a decent return. Indeed, if we build it, they (the customers) might not come.

Stepping up to the plate to pursue radical innovation makes us vulnerable to criticism, indifference, maybe outright scorn. The more we push, the more radical the agenda we pursue, the more obvious our mistakes become. Whether we own a small business, lead a big company, run the innovation group, or are team members working on innovation projects, that can leave a mark.

If you aren’t okay with that, that’s fine. The exits are clearly marked. No one is forcing you to do this. But if you want to stay in retail and stay relevant, trial and error—maybe even crashing and burning—is now likely to be part of your job description. If you block the path and defend the status quo, you should do everyone else a favor and step to one side.

However, if you want to stay out of the fray of radical reinvention and merely be a cog in the wheel, you might do well to remember: the robots are coming.

“If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

– Thomas J. Watson

This is an excerpt from Chapter 19 (Essential #8: “Radical”) of my new book Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Digitial Disruption which is currently the #1 new retail release on Amazon.

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