{"id":1495,"date":"2025-03-20T19:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2025-03-20T19:19:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:19:00","slug":"you-cant-win-by-defense-alone-the-disadvantage-of-incumbency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495","title":{"rendered":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf we only defend, we lose the war.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKambei Shimada, Seven Samurai\u00a0(1954)<\/em><\/p>\n

I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world\u200a\u2014\u200aToulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn\u2019t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club simply outscored opponents, filling the trophy cabinet through relentless offense rather than by merely holding the\u00a0line.<\/p>\n

Both Toulouse and Leinster embraced a mindset of taking the game to the opposition rather than absorbing pressure. It\u2019s a philosophy that extends beyond sport\u200a\u2014\u200abecause in business and strategy, those who rely solely on defense inevitably fall\u00a0behind.<\/p>\n

For years, the mantra \u201cdefense wins championships\u201d has echoed through sports and boardrooms alike. But is it still\u00a0true?<\/p>\n

The phrase is often credited to<\/a> Paul \u201cBear\u201d Bryant<\/a>, the legendary coach who famously said: \u201cOffense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet, recent data suggests a shift in the\u00a0balance.<\/p>\n

According to brilliant analysis by<\/a> Jason Pauley<\/a>, since 2017, Super Bowl champions have, on average, ranked higher in offense than defense. The 2022 Kansas City Chiefs embodied this trend, boasting the league\u2019s top offense while ranking just 16th in\u00a0defense.<\/p>\n

By contrast, from 2000 to 2005, dominant defenses were far more common among champions.<\/p>\n

However, today\u2019s NFL has incentivized offensive excellence, with high-scoring teams now holding the competitive edge.<\/p>\n

And the same applies in a changed business arena\u200a\u2014\u200aplaying it safe won\u2019t win in the long\u00a0run.<\/p>\n

The Disadvantage of Incumbency<\/h3>\n

In an interview with INSEAD, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo<\/a>, the former CEO of Nokia, admitted:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is sometimes difficult in a big successful organization to have the sense of urgency and hunger. No company can defend only. If you have a high market share and you are a market leader, if you start defending you cannot sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kallasvuo was speaking about Nokia in the aftermath of its decline, but the defensive posture had set in much\u00a0earlier.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/835e3b4298c2756fd4b30fe641ad24f7\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

In the early 2000s, part of Samsung\u2019s meteoric rise in mobile phones came from Nokia\u2019s reluctance to manufacture two-piece flip-phones<\/a>, the design favoured by its Korean rival. In the 1990s, Nokia\u2019s sleek, one-piece \u201ccandy bar\u201d phones were coveted lifestyle accessories, winning design awards and dominating the market. Yet, their compact product architecture made it difficult to enlarge the display without increasing the phone\u2019s overall dimensions.<\/p>\n

Initially, this wasn\u2019t a problem, but as users began sending messages, taking photos, and browsing the web, the limitations of a tiny screen became clear. Samsung\u2019s solution\u200a\u2014\u200aa two-piece flip-phone where the display overlapped the keyboard until the phone was unfolded\u200a\u2014\u200awas a simple yet game-changing innovation. To Asian customers, the flip-phone was a useful but hardly revolutionary feature. To Nokia\u2019s chief product engineer, however, it was design heresy. Having helped invent the mini-brick phone, Nokia\u2019s head of design stubbornly defended its virtues and dismissed requests from Asian marketers to create a competing flip-phone.<\/p>\n

By the time Nokia finally launched its own two-piece design, millions of dollars in market share had already shifted to Samsung. Nokia\u2019s reluctance to adapt wasn\u2019t just a product design issue\u200a\u2014\u200ait was a classic case of incumbency weight. Success had created a mental model that made change difficult. This is a fate many market leaders have suffered\u200a\u2014\u200afrom Microsoft\u2019s dismissal of the iPhone to Sony\u2019s paralysis in digital\u00a0music.<\/p>\n

The Weight of Incumbency<\/h3>\n

Traditional, long-standing companies struggle to maintain the innovation that once made them great. Being an established industry leader can create a psychological and operational rigidity that resists\u00a0change.<\/p>\n

Consider Microsoft\u2019s response when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone in 2007. Then-CEO Steve Ballmer dismissed it outright<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It\u2019s a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I\u2019d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might\u00a0get.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By 2014, Ballmer openly admitted that one of his greatest regrets as Microsoft\u2019s CEO was not moving into the mobile phone hardware business sooner. When asked why Microsoft didn\u2019t act, his response was\u00a0telling:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the name of your company is Microsoft and your formula works\u2026 Our formula was working, we were software guys\u2026 So for us it was kind of like a religious transformation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/43a20121ded3fd0633a2190728c561f5\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

Nokia faced a similar reckoning. At its peak, it controlled over 50% of the global mobile phone market. Yet, by the time Microsoft acquired its mobile unit in 2013, Nokia\u2019s market share had plummeted to just 3%. The inability to pivot quickly in response to the smartphone revolution was a defining moment of corporate inertia.<\/p>\n

Sony\u2019s Rise and Stall: A Cautionary Tale<\/h3>\n

Sony\u2019s story is another textbook example of how disruptors become the disrupted. Sony initially thrived by exploiting the blind spots of entrenched competitors. When Bell Labs invented the transistor in 1947, legacy players like RCA and GE dismissed it, clinging to their investments in vacuum tube technology. Akio Morita, Sony\u2019s visionary CEO, saw the opportunity and swiftly licensed transistor technology. The result? The iconic transistor radio, which revolutionised consumer electronics and turned Sony into a global powerhouse.<\/p>\n

Yet, as Sony matured, it fell into the same trap as its former competitors. The company became bound by its own orthodoxies\u200a\u2014\u200arigid assumptions that limited its ability to adapt. Nowhere was this more evident than in the digital music revolution. Sony had all the necessary ingredients to dominate the MP3 player market\u200a\u2014\u200abrand power, digital rights management technology, and a vast music catalogue. But internal conflicts and fear of cannibalising its existing business model paralysed decision-making.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Apple seized the moment. The launch of the iPod and iTunes redefined digital music consumption, leaving Sony scrambling to catch up. What once made Sony great\u200a\u2014\u200aits deep integration of hardware and content\u200a\u2014\u200abecame a barrier to its ability to move quickly and disrupt\u00a0itself.<\/p>\n

If We Only Defend, We Lose The\u00a0War<\/h3>\n

As the legendary 1954 film<\/a> Seven Samurai<\/a> reminds\u00a0us<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Kambei Shimada: \u201cGo to the north. The decisive battle will be fought there.\u201d Gorobei Katayama: \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you build a fence there?\u201d Kambei Shimada: \u201cA good fort needs a gap. The enemy must be lured in. So we can attack them. If we only defend, we lose the\u00a0war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kambei Shimada\u2019s philosophy wasn\u2019t just about military tactics\u200a\u2014\u200ait was about strategy in life and business. The \u201cgap\u201dhe speaks of represents more than a vulnerability; it symbolizes the need for constant reinvention.<\/p>\n

A business, like a fortress, can\u2019t simply build walls and expect to survive. Without openings for adaptation, learning, and risk-taking, stagnation sets in. The greatest danger comes when leaders believe their position is\u00a0secure.<\/p>\n

This aligns with another of Shimada\u2019s warnings:<\/p>\n

\u201cDanger always strikes when everything seems\u00a0fine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, as Denzel Washington put\u00a0it:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt your highest moment, be careful\u200a\u2014\u200athat\u2019s when the devil comes for\u00a0you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Complacency is the real enemy. History shows that companies who assume their market position is unshakable\u200a\u2014\u200awhether it\u2019s Nokia, Sony, or even Microsoft\u200a\u2014\u200amay inevitably find themselves disrupted.<\/p>\n

Companies, like any winning team, must play offense\u200a\u2014\u200anot merely protect what they have, but actively build what\u2019s\u00a0next.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/0410e9fb24e72904967f034cfa490ec7\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the age of revolution, there is no defense, there\u2019s only offense. Those who live by the sword will be shot by those who don\u2019t.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200a<\/em>Gary\u00a0Hamel<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to learn how market leaders stay ahead? Check out our epic 18-part series with Gary Hamel\u00a0below.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/medium.com\/media\/18411867c1694bc4d585b928fa14e631\/href<\/a><\/p>\n

You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency<\/a> was originally published in The Thursday Thought<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>\n

The post You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency<\/a> appeared first on The Innovation Show<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf we only defend, we lose the war.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKambei Shimada, Seven Samurai\u00a0(1954) I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world\u200a\u2014\u200aToulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn\u2019t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nYou Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cIf we only defend, we lose the war.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKambei Shimada, Seven Samurai\u00a0(1954) I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world\u200a\u2014\u200aToulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn\u2019t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"585\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\"},\"wordCount\":1393,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\",\"name\":\"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":585},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/\",\"name\":\"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\",\"description\":\"Public Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Innovation Speaker, Virtual Keynotes, In-person public speaker, Ireland\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/White-Black-Bold-Minimalist-Beauty-Blogger-Logo-2_clipped_rev_1-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/White-Black-Bold-Minimalist-Beauty-Blogger-Logo-2_clipped_rev_1-2.png\",\"width\":464,\"height\":154,\"caption\":\"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","og_description":"\u201cIf we only defend, we lose the war.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKambei Shimada, Seven Samurai\u00a0(1954) I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world\u200a\u2014\u200aToulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn\u2019t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club […]","og_url":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495","og_site_name":"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","article_published_time":"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":585,"url":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency","datePublished":"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495"},"wordCount":1393,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495","url":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495","name":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency - Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png","datePublished":"2025-03-20T19:19:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png","width":1024,"height":585},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?p=1495#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"You Can\u2019t Win by Defense Alone: The Disadvantage of Incumbency"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/","name":"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","description":"Public Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Innovation Speaker, Virtual Keynotes, In-person public speaker, Ireland","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#organization","name":"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert","url":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/White-Black-Bold-Minimalist-Beauty-Blogger-Logo-2_clipped_rev_1-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/White-Black-Bold-Minimalist-Beauty-Blogger-Logo-2_clipped_rev_1-2.png","width":464,"height":154,"caption":"Aidan McCullen \u2013 Keynote Speaker Ireland | Innovation & Leadership Expert"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",1024,585,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/rt:fill\/g:ce\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:171\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",300,171,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:439\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",768,439,true],"large":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",1024,585,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",1024,585,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/mlrwdxeckslu.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:avif\/https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0Vm2tv6hYL7J9jFvb-vkmOMX.png",1024,585,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/?author=0"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\u201cIf we only defend, we lose the war.\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aKambei Shimada, Seven Samurai\u00a0(1954) I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world\u200a\u2014\u200aToulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn\u2019t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aidanmccullen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}