Be Different…Perform Better

Have you noticed how so many business people are lemmings? They rush from one best selling re-hash of something everyone knows to the next. They pay ridiculous sums to listen to a short talk by the author telling them what they just read, sometimes in exactly the same words.They pay even more to bring in the latest expert on saving your business as a motivational speaker at their annual meeting.

Over the years I’ve attended some of these talks. I’ll admit that occasionally there is a fantastic performer who is a joy to watch. Notice I use performer and not speaker as usually the fantastic part is due to their platform skills and not the words they spout. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know that if you run your organization better you’ll get better results?

The previous words flowed rapidly. As I realized this it gave me pause. After all, I’m a consultant, storyteller (performer?), writer, and trusted advisor to CEOs and other senior people. Am I one of those who merely re-hashes and re-hashes and re-hashes? It’s a scary and horrifying thought.

I got thinking about this because I recently saw a quote from Sir John Templeton, founded of Templeton Mutual Funds. “If you want to have a better performance than the crowd, you must do things differently from the crowd.” Templeton was speaking about investing but it occurred to me that this is also the path to better organizational performance. Figure out how to do what no one else is doing, and do it well.

It’s so much easier to follow the crowd to the latest guru and drink the cool aid. After all, if everyone is following these ideas for success…they must be the best success ideas ever.

And yet, who are the people who find the greatest success? Not those following the crowd. I never heard anyone talk about Steve Jobs, who founded and led the most valuable company ever, as a follower of the latest trend. Same for Richard Branson, Travis Kalanick, Brian Chesky, Elon Musk, and even Penn and Teller.

Follow those who ignore the crowd and find their own path to success. By this I don’t mean ignoring the basics of running a good organization.  But the basics are out there everywhere so easy to find. It’s what you do with the basics that differentiates the great from the average. It’s how you take the basics and add your own special sauce, the sauce that differentiates you from everyone.

As for me, I am pleased to report that last week I met with a prospective new client referred to me by two existing clients. We got talking about branding. I shared a story about a company CEO for whom I developed a brand that made him the star of his industry. During my story my prospect kept saying, “I have gone through branding with a number of consultants and never am going do it again, and besides, we aren’t here to talk about branding.”

My response? “Your request led me to think that branding is in fact what you need to solve your problem but it’s fine with me if you want to continue to be out of sight, out of mind, and with lousy results. The choice is yours.” “His final words, “I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I want to do what you just said.”

The choice is always yours. Be exceptional or be part of the herd.