#010: The Courage to Start Again — Rethinking Excellence Through Radical Reinvention

Have you ever been so sure you’d nailed something—a process, a system, a way of working—that you couldn’t imagine it getting any better?

I’ve been there. There’s a unique satisfaction in believing you’ve reached a pinnacle, a kind of confidence that comes from refining every detail until it hums.

But then, there’s that lingering question: What if this isn’t as good as it gets?

It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? The idea of dismantling what’s already working—perhaps even thriving—in pursuit of something greater.

But it’s also where real transformation happens.

This year, I read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, a book that challenged me to see this differently.

Its core idea was both unsettling and inspiring: Sometimes, the only way to build something truly remarkable is to start from scratch. As a leader, I find this idea hits close to home.

You know the stakes—tight deadlines, escalating expectations, and the delicate balance of aligning your team. Yet, what if holding on to “good enough” is holding you back?

In this issue, I’ll explain why embracing the courage to tear things down might be the boldest move you make and how it can lead to the kind of leap forward that defines greatness.

The Courage to Disrupt and Rebuild

What separates good from great isn’t luck—it’s the courage to ask, What if we started over? In Unreasonable Hospitality, Guidara shares how one of the top 100 restaurants in the world decided that being in the top 0.0005% wasn’t enough.

Instead of settling, Guidara asked a bold question: What will it take to be the best? That question forced him to rethink everything his restaurant had built, challenging its habits, systems, and even its successes to climb higher.

It wasn’t about chasing perfection but having the courage to disrupt the status quo.

That ethos strikes a deep chord with me. At Pixelz, we faced a similar moment. Overhauling our production system wasn’t a choice we made lightly. For six months, everything got worse before it got better. There were nights when we questioned if we’d made a mistake.

But we stuck with it because we knew progress often feels messy before it feels rewarding. As writer James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, “Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits.” That applies to companies too.

Habits—good and bad—shape every outcome, every success, and every plateau.

This tension between incremental improvements and bold transformations is fascinating to me. Incremental changes keep the wheels turning. But sometimes, the only way to break through a ceiling is to rebuild the structure entirely.

The risk is real, but so is the reward.

Clearer Paths, Better Results

When we strip away the noise—those self-imposed rules and assumptions that complicate our daily work—we uncover a powerful truth: simplicity drives clarity, and clarity drives progress.

Getting caught up in the whirlwind of day-to-day demands is easy, but stepping back to ask, “What are we really trying to achieve?” is a small, profound act of leadership. It’s about giving yourself the freedom to rethink, recalibrate, and elevate what you do best.

In studios, just as in life, even the most minor refinements—in process, perspective, or practice—can lead to transformative outcomes. The opportunity for improvement is always there, waiting for those willing to ask the hard questions and embrace change.

So, I’ll leave you with this: take a moment this week before the New Year to revisit something you’ve been doing on autopilot. Ask yourself if it still serves its purpose or if there’s a simpler, better way forward. You might be surprised by the clarity that follows.

And if you’re looking for inspiration, I highly recommend picking up Unreasonable Hospitality as a holiday read. It’s the perfect companion for reflecting on and reimagining your path forward.

Grateful,

Thomas