When we look at some of the most recent and incredible success stories in business, sports, and artistic performance we are seeing a bit of a trend, aren’t we? What we are seeing are companies, teams, and individuals who are winning and winning big through disruption. They are doing things we never imagined possible and changing the conversations we are having with one another as we discuss their amazing feats.

These are the businesses, organizations, and people who look for competitive advantages and opportunities to challenge the status quo on a regular basis. It could be new technology, leveraging data, and developing excellence in their people and in themselves in new and transformational ways. They monitor trends in the industry, in the game, and from the stage to look for any new opening and idea that leads them to turn things on their head and defy new levels of achievement.

Companies, teams, players, and artists who are dominating through disruption also do something else better than their competitors. While looking for breakthrough moments and ideas, they still focus on the fundamentals, the blocking and tackling if you will. Solid research that leads to structured planning and then doing the behaviors necessary to leverage the research and execute against the plan. Couple that with working on instinct when necessary and you have a recipe for disruptive success.

Holding fast to the fundamentals while looking for ways to be disruptive takes innovative leadership and a creative team that is committed to the tried-and-true fundamentals that serve as the foundation for success, yet curious enough to push the boundaries and norms to explore options that others may have missed or had never even considered.

I am not just referring to the newest, latest and greatest gadgets, widgets and gizmos that hit the market, although so many of them definitely pique my interest and I think they are very cool. What I am referring to are the disruptors out there who are thinking differently and very strategically, and before anyone else does. Some of my favorites to follow on social media are the new and emerging thought leaders around disruption. Just visit any of the sites and search on disruption or disruptors, futurists, changing the conversation, and other similar tags and you will find some amazing thinking, disruptive thinking. The kind of disruptive thinking that could lead to domination and success.

And what do I mean by domination? Domination is not just for big companies, professional teams, or individual performers. Domination could be for every size company and for each one of us too. Dominating a local market by being a bit disruptive. Breaking a bad habit, through a disruptive and new or better habit. Dominating other poor practices that we follow and want to change by stretching the boundaries of our thinking. We all have the capacity to make new decisions based on new information, and maybe our input needs a dose of disruptive thinking.

“The fastest way to success is by replacing one bad habit with one good habit” - Tom Ziglar

With a focus on the fundamentals and a willingness to be a little disruptive, we can leverage our core strengths and begin developing new attitudes, behaviors, and techniques in all areas of life. Breaking through our comfort zone and status quo doesn’t necessarily mean we abandon our belief system, it means we look for new ways to live, work, play, compete and succeed in whatever it is we choose to do in work, life, and play.

How about you? Could you benefit from a little disruptive thinking as we continue to kick off the new year? Is there something that is calling for you to raise the bar higher, something yet to conquer, or something you need to dominate or defeat? I would love to hear all about it at mnorton@tramazing.com, and when we can build a little healthy disruption into our lives, it really will be a better than good week, maybe even a dominatingly good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.