Naturally we aren't running with bulls, but we are running with competitors, clients and regulators in a more and more chaotic world. We happily enter the street with our happy little red scarves (products, services, processes, technology) along with the other people with happy red scarves just like ours and get to running. In a sense, we are trying to compete with the bulls and each other by reacting to what they do, say, ask. I suggest another way. Rather than running in front of the bulls, it seems to me to make sense that we ought to step into a small walkway, observe the bulls and the other red scarf wearers and then choose a path to run on. Why take the bull on directly? Why bunch together with a lot of other red scarves? I hope you agree that more thoughtful approach is more likely to keep us uninjured, and successfully fighting another day.
Here are three thoughts for dealing better with the bulls and other red scarves in your world:
- Know the bulls (and yourself) better than anyone else. If you want to get in the street with bulls, you better know about their behaviors and strengths and accurately assess them against your own. A person who knows when a bull is going to veer to the right 2 seconds before the person next to them is more likely to keep running - while the other person is trampled under foot or sent flying to the hospital. Become best friends with your marketing partners. I don't mean the people who make pretty flyers and brochures. I mean the people who study and understand market behavior, consumer trends and can translate them into potential capabilities needed in your business. Know what they're doing and why.
- Take a different path from others. It seems obvious that running in a crowd of red-scarf wearing adventure seekers is more likely to lead to injury and failure. Have you ever tried to run in a crowd? You can't run as fast or change direction when you need to - you end up flowing with the crowd. All the bull sees is a big crowd of red and he's after IT. In today's fractured markets, we can't afford to keep fighting like everyone else -we'll get gored by the horns of commoditization and value deflation. Look for capabilities you and others don't have - then build and deliver them in a memorable way. Never run with the pack again.
- Find out what bulls like and do it better than anyone else. It seems obvious to me that wearing red to aggravate a bulls makes no sense. That's what everyone is doing. Competitors often try to dress up what they do in a crowded marketplace to seem different but just end up making the customer see red. We need to find and connect with our client's needs in a way no one else does or can and deliver on our promises flawlessly. That sounds like panacea, but if you don't figure out how to do it, you'll be fighting for smaller and smaller wins.
