By: Joshua Finley

Amid rapid technological change, companies face a stark choice: disrupt or be disrupted. According to Larisa Miller, whose new radio platform AIR challenges traditional broadcasting, too many businesses get trapped in old ways of thinking. Her latest project combines artificial intelligence with crowd-sourced content to create “radio by the people, for the people.”

Breaking Free from Legacy Thinking

Having worked with companies across the globe, Larisa has seen firsthand how resistance to change can sink even established businesses. Instead of monitoring competitors, she urges companies to forge their paths. “Make your competitors worry about what you’re doing,” she says. “Don’t worry about what they’re doing.” This mindset shaped the development of AIR (Artificially Intelligent Radio), which launched online at onairnow.ai last August. The platform uses AI to analyze listening patterns while opening up broadcasting to voices often left out of traditional radio. “We’ll have channels for up-and-coming music artists to submit their music,” Larisa explains. “No matter how local they are, they can submit their music and allow the world to hear what they produce.”

For Larisa, playing it safe is often the riskiest strategy. “You will take 20 risks and only have one that leads to success,” she notes. “But if you aren’t brave enough to constantly be putting yourself out there and taking risks, if you aren’t patient enough and resilient enough to go through 19 failures… that’s what differentiates those that succeed from those that always look back on life with regret.”

She points to Philip Morris as an example of successful disruption, noting how the company “went from being predominantly a tobacco company to being a tech company, looking at creating a smoke-free future.” Meanwhile, cautionary tales like Kodak and Blockbuster show what happens when companies fail to adapt.

Understanding Global Leadership

Working across borders has taught Larisa that effective leadership looks different in different places. “Globalization is likely to play a significant role in shaping the future of business,” she says. “But to do business worldwide, you must take the time to learn business worldwide. What is the business etiquette of different regions?” Her team includes experts from various regions who stay current on local business practices. “None of us ever accepts that we are the ultimate authority on anything,” she explains. “We are constantly upskilling, relearning, and learning new things.”

Larisa views failure as an indication that a company is exploring new possibilities and pushing its limits. “If you are continually having success with no setbacks, challenges, and no failures, you’re not stretching,” she says. “If your teams aren’t having failures, then your teams aren’t working hard enough. They’re not thinking hard enough. They’re not innovating enough.”

Rethinking Business Perspectives

Sometimes, companies need to look at things from an outside perspective to spot opportunities for change. “We get so stuck in the cattle chutes of thought that we can’t see,” Larisa notes. “We’ve got blinders on. We’re so focused on just getting through our day-to-day operations… that we don’t have time to think through how to look at our businesses through a different lens.” Her advice? Break down your business “like a jigsaw puzzle” and look for new ways to put it back together. This might mean bringing in consultants who can spot opportunities that insiders miss.

One lesson from the pandemic stands out to Larisa: “We’re never going back to normal because normal was the problem.” To remain competitive, companies benefit from adapting and exploring new approaches. AIR, an upcoming mobile app, reflects this mindset by leveraging AI technology and user-generated content to create a more inclusive platform for sharing music and stories. Larisa encourages businesses to focus on innovation rather than fixating on competitors, emphasizing the importance of rethinking traditional approaches. For companies open to calculated risks, change presents growth and progress opportunities.

To learn more about Larisa Miller, check out her LinkedIn profile.

Published by Mark V.