Keeping on the automotive conference that I attended this week, I was told a story of how the automotive companies are lobbying for funding from the EU to collaboratively drive innovation to meet the increasing pressures from international competitors. Apparently, there was a meeting in 2024 that gave a bit of funding for preparing a proposal for funding a large project to be submitted in 2026. If approved, the project can start in 2028. We are talking about FOUR YEARS between raising the concern and a reaction in the European innovation system. Whatever the project is going to be working on in 2028, based on what they talked about in 2024 and 2025 will be most likely be irrelevant or at least a lot less relevant than what it is today. I wish I only had this example, but in many of the companies that I am involved with, change only happens when everyone and their brother supports the change or at least will not block it. By that time, whatever we were planning to do is already so obvious to everyone involved that all business opportunities associated with a fast first mover strategy are gone and all one can do is play defense. Even in the startups that I work with, firing a person that is not working out is always done way past the point where it should have happened. In my experience, when your gut tells you it’s not going to work, it’s almost always right and you need to take action. So, something to reflect on today: what does your gut tell you? And what are you going to do about it NOW?