We grew up with a myth.
The myth says: Work hard to be “better.”
Better than everyone else. Better than the other students in our classroom.
In your career, be better than your competition… because that’s how to be the best.
I’d like to end this myth right here. Your competitive advantage is NOT the way in which you are incrementally better than the competition.
“Better” is not better. It’s worse. “Better” keeps you chained to the same way of working as your competition.
Being better is temporary. It’s a flimsy advantage that can be toppled in a millisecond by someone with a bigger following.
Or a lower price.
Or a more convenient location.
Or a shinier award.
Or a newer technology.
Or a fancier degree.
Better keeps you chained to the same old way of working as your competition.
I propose that it’s not enough to be the best.
In any oversaturated environment, it doesn’t matter how wonderful you are and how much you have to offer. If your message fails to fascinate, you’ve failed. You’ve lost the sale before you’ve even had a chance to start a connection.
Being the best isn’t enough, if nobody notices or cares.
It’s not enough to manufacture the best product if nobody buys them.
It’s not enough to be the most worthy politician if nobody votes for you.
It’s not enough to be the best leader if nobody follows you.
You could have THE world-changing idea, one that will alter the course of mankind, but that idea will wither if nobody knows about it.
People will just move on to next product, the next employee, the next conversation.
The best idea can’t win, just like the best person can’t win, if they fail to earn any attention in the first place.
If you can identify your personality’s advantage, and harness it, and apply it, you will not only achieve THE best, but also YOUR best.
The good news is, you can compete. You can be the best in a competitive environment— if you use your natural personality advantages to attract the attention you need to succeed.
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Sally Hogshead is an international Hall of Fame Speaker and New York Times best-selling author of HOW THE WORLD SEES YOU , a complete guide on how to defeat the threat of competition and add value to every communication. She is also the author of FASCINATE: “Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. Sally’s books are founded on a scientifically-based system of influence, based on the brain’s hardwired patterns, and she has taught over 200,000 people how to use their natural strengths to become more persuasive.
