It’s pretty easy to figure out what you’re competing for—attention, a new gig, a promotion, a sale…
But what is your edge? In a hyper competitive world, whatever you’re competing on is going to become your focus.
If you’re competing on price, you’ll spend most of your time counting pennies.
If you’re competing on noise, you’ll spend most of your time yelling, posting, updating, publishing and announcing.
If you’re competing on trust, you’ll spend most of your time keeping the promises that make you trustworthy.
If you’re competing on smarts, you’ll spend most of your time getting smarter.
If you’re competing on who you know, you’ll spend most of the time networking.
If you’re competing by having true fans, you’ll spend most of your time earning the trust and attention of those that care about your work.
If you’re competing on credentials, you’ll spend most of your time getting more accredited and certified.
If you’re competing on perfect, you’ll need to spend your time on picking nits.
If you’re competing by hustling, you’ll spend most of your time looking for shortcuts and cutting corners.
If you’re competing on getting picked, you’ll spend most of your day auditioning.
If you’re competing on being innovative, you’ll spend your time being curious and shipping things that might not work.
If you’re competing on generosity, you’ll look for ever more ways to be generous with your time, your insights and your work.
And if you’re competing on always-on responsiveness, you’ll spend your time glued to your work, responding just a second faster than the other guy.
In any competitive market:
Be prepared to invest your heart and soul and focus on the thing you compete on. @ThisIsSethsBlog
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Might as well choose something you can live with, a practice that allows you to thrive.
Seth Godin has written eighteen books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership, and, most of all, changing everything.
Image courtesy of Lauren Mancke.
