Brilliant Manoeuvre
If you can see something that appears self-evident, there’s a good chance that your enemy (or competitors) can also see it.
Example
Not long after my book, Brilliant Manoeuvres, came out, some of my friends and acquaintances who had also served in the military told me they had also been thinking about writing a similar book to mine. Another friend of mine has also been thinking of writing a book on a topic that is right in his ‘sweet spot’ as a consultant. The problem is that he’s been thinking about it for two years. In the meantime, someone else came out with a book that covers essentially the same ground. What both these literary examples have in common is that good ideas seldom come to only one person at any one time. Case in point, great scientific discoveries often occur to many people at essentially the same time. For instance, Darwin and Wallace discovered natural selection at the same time, but it was Darwin that published a full-length argument in favour of it. Consequently, he’s the one that history recognizes. The lesson here is that if you see an opportunity to introduce a new product, service, or set of ideas, then move quickly. Chances are that your competitors alos see the opportunity and are fixing to move. This requires speed, resolve, and agility.
Tip
Don’t wait for perfection to move. Do so when you’re approximately ready. As my mentor Alan Weiss says, “Move when you’re 80% ready. The last 20% is not worth the time or effort because you’ll have to change it anyway.”
Richard Martin is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach. He brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.
© 2013 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.