I live in a delightful river valley, 20 minutes walk from the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. A couple of times a week, I pull on my trainers and run 2.5 miles up the river through the famous Jesmond Dene and 2.5 miles back again in a big long loop. The paths undulate up and down the sides of the river gorge and over the years I’ve learnt the pattern of the climbs and downhills and adjust my running to suit well before each change.

Once in a blue moon, I run my route the other way – same path, different direction. It never fails to surprise me, even shock me, how different the valley looks. Small features become huge rocky outcrops and vice versa, and whole new routes and vista open up. These were invisible when plodding the same routine week after week. The other shock is how much more uncomfortable the run is – the climbs come in a different rhythm and the downhills often steeper, putting pressure on the old quad muscles.

Its the same in most businesses – waste occurs but it is the norm, people either don’t see it or don’t want to to rock the boat, but would rather get on with their routine (the ‘day job’). Change is uncomfortable, but essential to survive, and you have to get out of your comfort zone to see it. So once in a while, get out of the routine, be disruptive, ask people what they think and, most importantly, try to look at your business with fresh eyes.