The Road to Reinvention
Josh Linkner
Companies, communities, and individuals fall for many reasons, but one of the most common–and easily avoidable–is the failure to reinvent. When people and organizations rest on prior successes rather than driving purposeful transformation, they discover too late that they have lost their market position altogether to competitors and external forces. The most successful companies, brands, and individuals make reinvention a regular part of their business strategies. Transformation demands an ongoing process of discovery and imagination, and The Road to Reinvention lays out a systematic approach for continually challenging and reinventing yourself and your business.
Venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur Josh Linkner identifies six elements in any business that are ripe for reinvention and shares examples, methods, and step-by-step techniques for creating deliberate, productive disruption. Throughout The Road to Reinvention , Linkner also explores the history–the great rise, unprecedented fall, and now rebirth–of his beloved hometown, Detroit. First rising to greatness as the result of breathtaking innovation, Detroit had generations of booming growth before succumbing to apathy, atrophy, and finally bankruptcy. Now, the city is rising from the ashes and driving sustainable success through an intense focus on reinvention. Linkner brings an insider’s view of this incredible story of grit, determination, and creativity, sharing his perspective on Detroit’s successes and setbacks as a profound example of large-scale organizational and personal transformation.
Change is inevitable. You need to decide: Will you drive that change, or be driven away by it? Will you disrupt or be disrupted? By choosing to deliberately reimagine your own status quo, you can secure a strong future for both your company and your career.
To Josh Linkner, creativity and innovation are the lifeblood of all human progress, and as such, he’s spent his career harnessing the spirit of creative disruption. His journey has been non-‐traditional at every step: he’s been a professional jazz guitarist, four-‐time tech entrepreneur, hyper-growth
CEO, bestselling author, venture capitalist, and urban reinventor. Josh is Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, helping to rebuild his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, by backing passionate entrepreneurs who can make an impact through their own innovative ideas. He’s been involved in the launch and growth of over 100 businesses and raised over $150 million of venture capital. He is also a thought leader and top-‐rated keynote speaker on innovation, creativity, and reinvention. Josh has written two New York Times bestselling books -‐ Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity and The Road to Reinvention: How to Drive Disruption and Accelerate Transformation. He’s on a mission to drive creativity, innovation, and reinvention. And yes, he still plays a mean jazz guitar. For more information, visit JoshLinkner.com.