Have you ever wondered how a global powerhouse like BlackBerry, once dominating half the U.S. smartphone market, could collapse so dramatically? This week’s episode dives into the leadership blind spots that turn success into vulnerability.

I’ll walk you through the rise and fall of BlackBerry, unpacking evolutionary leadership lessons that you can apply in your business. From assigning challenger roles on your team to separating vision from ego and embedding exploration alongside exploitation, you’ll learn how to protect your leadership against extinction.

So, if you want to avoid becoming the next cautionary tale, this episode is a must-listen. And for a deeper dive, order my book, The Mammoth in the Room, for evolutionary truths that drive modern leadership decisions.

In this episode:

00:00 The rise and fall of BlackBerry

02:55 Blackberry's groupthink and identity protection bias

04:24 Evolutionary leadership lessons from Blackberry's fall

06:33 Final thoughts on why BlackBerry failed

Resources Used in the Episode:

Janis, I. L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273109291_Irving_L_Janis'_Victims_of_Groupthink

Trivers, R. (2011). The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life. https://a.co/d/h1MCBPO

Zeng, Y., Chen, Z., & Luan, S. (2022). The Evolutionary Roots of Overconfidence. Evolution and Human Behavior.

Tushman, M. L., & O’Reilly, C. A. (1996). Ambidextrous Organizations: Managing Evolutionary and Revolutionary Change. California Management Review. https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Organizational_Learning_and_Change/Tushman_&_OReilly_1996_Ambidextrous_Organizations.pdf

Get in Touch:

Website: https://www.mammothleadershipsciences.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaspokorny

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MammothLeadershipSciences