One of my first CEO clients – a leader in the early days of the Search industry – gave me a great piece of advice about the competition. I still follow it.
“If you pay too much attention to the competition – you’ll always end up following them.”
At the time I actually think I thought he was nuts. After all, as a young idealistic marketing consultant, competitive analysis was one of those B school standards near and dear to my heart.
Now, some twenty something years later, I see how brilliant he was.
Companies have to think for themselves, not like their competitors.
I’m not saying that you have to ignore your competition. That’d be kinda silly, now wouldn’t it.
What I am saying is that companies have to stop focusing on what their competition is doing as the baseline for defining their future direction. Following the competition’s lead won’t help you be a leader.
Leveraging the competitive information you have to think differently, now that’s the key.
As my grandpa used to say, “The view never changes unless you’re the lead cow.”
_______
Come back tomorrow for Competitive Assessment that Works!
