Sometimes success can be its own kind of danger.
When things are running smoothly, it’s easy to believe that what worked yesterday will keep working tomorrow. That comfort can slowly turn into overconfidence, and before long, the organization that once led the way is the one struggling to catch up.
That’s exactly what happened to Blockbuster.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Blockbuster was unstoppable. With thousands of stores across the globe, it was the Friday night ritual — aisles of new releases, buckets of popcorn, blue membership cards and the soft hum of fluorescent lights. The company dominated home entertainment, bringing in billions every year.
But while customers were lining up to rent movies, the world around them was beginning to shift. Internet speeds were improving. DVDs were replacing tapes. And a small startup named Netflix began mailing movies directly to people’s homes.
At first, Blockbuster didn’t see Netflix as a threat. In fact, in 2000, Netflix’s founders flew to Dallas to offer a partnership. They proposed running Blockbuster’s online presence while Blockbuster promoted Netflix in stores. The offer was dismissed; the executives reportedly laughed them out of the room.
Blockbuster believed its model was too big to fail. But within a decade, streaming had transformed entertainment. While Netflix adapted, Blockbuster clung to the comfort of what it knew. By 2010, the company that once defined movie nights filed for bankruptcy.
The lesson isn’t about technology; it’s about posture. Leaders who confuse comfort with security eventually lose both. Healthy organizations stay humble enough to see what’s changing and courageous enough to respond.
At Radiant, we help ministries navigate that balance — staying faithful to what’s essential while being flexible to how the world is changing. Vision doesn’t mean chasing trends; it means seeing clearly and moving wisely.
Because the moment you think you’re too established to change, you’ve already started falling behind.
