Most leaders’ days are consumed by triage—patching critical issues, back-to-back meetings, and frantic data hunts. I’ve seen savvy teams lean into this “manage the noise” playbook during every disruption—but what starts as smart triage soon becomes a trap.

Managing the noise of change keeps you afloat today yet exacts a steep toll in the near term—here’s what it costs you immediately and the opportunities you miss right now:

• Direct costs: Burned-out teams, wasted strategic bandwidth, and the growth grind when you’re firefighting today instead of inventing tomorrow.

• Opportunity costs: By protecting the status quo, you leave a gap of unmet customer needs and shifting behaviors—openings that adaptive leaders seize to turn disruption into revenue.

In fast-moving markets, managing reacts to noise; monetizing responds to signals—and it isn’t wishful thinking, it’s a repeatable discipline. 

Top performers build what I call signal sense, an intuition honed by customer data, direct conversations, and hands-on team immersion that spots those subtle shifts. They then launch targeted moves—smart offers, process pivots, or repackaged value.

Here’s how to monetize change in three steps:

1. Spot the Signal
2. Act With Alignment
3. Build Something Better

1. Spot the Signal

Change doesn’t create revenue. Signals do. Watch for workarounds popping up, repeated phrases on your team, or sudden usage dips—each an early warning of an unmet need. Signals are the currency of Better Growth.
For example, Canva packaged non-designer pain points into drag-and-drop templates and business bundles—building a $40 billion platform.

2. Act With Alignment

Align your team around opportunity, not chaos. Ensure everyone—from product through marketing—can answer:

• What’s the need?
• Who is it for?
• How do we deliver value now?

This focused move prevents cross-functional friction and accelerates testing.

3. Build Something Better

Rather than patching problems, build solutions centered on the signal. Bundle features to match new usage patterns, craft messaging that addresses emerging concerns, or launch services that remove fresh friction points.
For example, Hinge shifted from endless swiping to intentional connections—revamping product, messaging, and its success metric (“designed to be deleted”) to win loyal users.

Taken together, these steps boost customer relevance, sharpen strategic focus, and unleash team performance—because you’re building with purpose, not reacting to every squeak.

Your daily, 10 minute habit to accelerated growth

Download the Signal Sense Cheat Sheet now to pinpoint emerging needs, align your team, and monetize change faster than your competition.