In today’s fast-paced world, companies across every industry are impacted by the exponential rate of disruption. In my time as an expert in business transformation and corporate modernization, I have seen that innovation now happens in months, not years, which means that decisions need to be made instantly rather than quarterly. Companies must keep up with the ever-changing desires of consumers, or they will get left behind. Accordingly, many organizations are forced to operate in a stealthy startup-like mode in order to compete in the marketplace. Over the last two years as president of my company, a real-time consumer insights software platform, I have seen firsthand the massive business impact of what staying close to your customer can do.