Why you should always be a challenger

What happens when your little company becomes big? Many good things, of course. You have access to more resources, more opportunities, talent flocks to your door and global partners seek you out.

But there are also dangers. Big companies can become complacent. They can look back on their history of success and feel as though it is a permanent state. They can become rigid – convinced that their record of success means they need not change.

This is a mindset that saps momentum and puts a successful company at risk. To guard against, as I recently wrote, you must maintain the entrepreneurial mindset. What’s more? Always see yourself as the challenger.

• The challengers are the entrepreneurs. They are the always coming up with new and innovative ideas. Even if you are big, think like an entrepreneur.
• The challengers are the fastest. Big companies can be slow. Even as you grow, keep speed as a critical element of your business.
• The challengers change the world. Big companies may be okay with the way things are, because they are good for big companies. But challengers are the ones that are always asking: how can the world be made better? Even big companies should be concerned about their impact on humanity.

No matter how big you may grow, see yourself as the challenger in your industry. That’s the way you will keep your momentum.

This article is published in collaboration with LinkedIn. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Hiroshi Mikitani is Chairman and CEO of Rakuten.

Image: Starlings rest on electric wires in the delta of river Po natural park in Cervia. REUTERS/Max Rossi.