What do we have to do to succeed?
How many degrees do we need? What
academic credentials should we gather, and from which institution?What courses should we take to attract potential employers?Who should we hang out with to take advantage of their network?Why are there so many people with amazing degrees doing jobs that are way below their qualifications — taxi drivers with PhD’s?How can I climb the ladder when there are so many other people who want the same thing?How can I get noticed in my company and show what I am capable of?I want to take on more responsibility and prove that I am worthy of a promotion: how do I get it done?So many questions behind the challenge to be successful, and so many opinions on how to achieve success — and here’s mine.I have seen many people with incredible academic backgrounds fail to reach their potential.I have seen many highly skilled professionals fail to move up in an organization and achieve their career goals.I have seen experienced managers and
leaders not rewarded for their contributions.
Is Google your best friend?
And, in my view, the common denominator in all of these circumstances is the fact that most people generally tend to practise rote; they follow the established doctrine of their trade.When approaching a challenge, they employ the toolset that everyone else uses. When facing a “How should I do it?” question, they go to Google for the most commonly used approach.And they hunt for a
“best practice”; a method that has worked for others that they hope will work in their particular circumstances. And they try to copy it.Copying what others do has no long term redeeming value and being in-step with the crowd is a formula to define YOU as a common version of everyone in it — welcome to your role as a member of a common denominator.Related:
This Is What Makes Your Strategy Useless Join the out-of-step crowd
In my experience, I have seen
success follow out-of-step people; those who reject crowd thinking and find best practices repugnant.People who consider a Goggle approach as a solution to morph to be a better fit for their particular situation.People who are constantly asking themselves “How can I do this different than everyone else?”People who look for
weird, off-the-wall methods and outcomes as an expression of their individuality.Out-of-step people make the world an interesting place to be. And they are rewarded by receiving the recognition and reward they deserve.
Think DiFFERENTMy message to you: everyday
when you get out of bed, DECIDE that you will do something — some little thing — that is different than the in-step crowd.If you make “different thinking” part of your daily routine eventually it will become part of your persona and will begin to govern the outcomes you deliver.And success will follow. I guarantee it…
