You Can’t Wait Your Way to Success: How Smart Aggression Beats Passive Leadership

At gavinadams.com, I outlined the 10 Principles that make the difference between a great team and all the rest.

I unpacked Principle 1: Smart Aggression, on this site Monday. Today on our Substack, let’s go deeper and consider practical examples of Smart Aggression.

Some Teams Wait. Others Create.

The difference between a thriving, innovative company and one that fades into irrelevance is often one thing: Smart Aggression.

We’ve all seen what happens when leaders hesitate: Companies that once dominated their industries crumble because they failed to act when the landscape changed.

Then, there are companies like Google—businesses that don’t wait for opportunities but create them.

What Happens When a Team is Passive?

Passivity in leadership and decision-making often looks like this:

✅ Playing it safe rather than taking strategic risks
✅ Waiting for perfect conditions instead of iterating and improving
✅ Relying on past success instead of innovating for the future
✅ Reacting to industry shifts instead of anticipating them

Passivity feels safe, but in reality, it’s a slow death for innovation and relevance.

Case in Point: The Companies That Hesitated (and Lost)

🔹 Blockbuster: Could have been Netflix. Instead, they clung to their brick-and-mortar model and dismissed streaming as a fad.

🔹 Kodak: Invented one of the first digital cameras but refused to disrupt their own film business. They had the talent, brand, and resources to lead the digital photography revolution—but they hesitated.

Both companies had the means to innovate. But they didn’t move aggressively enough.

And hesitation is deadly.

How Google Operates with Smart Aggression

While most companies tend to wait and see, Google moved with intention. Their success isn’t just about taking risks—it’s about calculated, strategic action.

1️⃣ Calculated Risk-Taking: They Bet on the Future

Google doesn’t jump into trends blindly. Instead, they make strategic bets before others even see the opportunity.

• Gmail started as an experimental project when email was stagnant.

• Google acquired YouTube when many doubted online video could be profitable.

• They launched Google Maps and Chrome before the world even realized it needed them.

They didn’t wait for the “right moment.” They created the moment.

2️⃣ Proactive Problem-Solving: They Anticipate Needs

Rather than reacting to market changes, Google shapes them: