Some people say that the greatest path to the greatest possible success is when you choose to blaze your trail. In the competitive business world, being the first to market with a new kind of product can be a huge advantage. You must continue to innovate and bring new ideas to the table. These all sound like perfectly reasonable mantras to which to subscribe, but they all fail to mention one very important caveat. Leading the pack can come with a whole series of risks. You may get shot in the back with arrows if you go first.
What exactly does this mean? Taking on the mental image of being at the front of the crowd, carving your own path and refusing to rejoin the masses, you can see how you can leave your back vulnerable to attack. By facing forward, you can sometimes forget that which is behind you. Regarding your professional aspirations, this can be interpreted one of two ways.
The Unconventional Risk Taker
On the one hand, you can follow the tried and true paths of those who preceded you. This conventional school of thought will get you to do what is expected of you. On the other hand, you can find your own way through life and throw caution to the wind.
This latter strategy will lead you into uncharted territory and you will quickly discover the risks of being unconventional. Among my peer group from high school, I am only one of two people (that I know) who has started and runs their own business. By blazing this trail, I certainly received my fair share of arrows in the back.
My parents didn’t understand why I didn’t get a “real job.” They came from a place where you got a good educational, participated in an interview process, and worked your way up a company. My chosen path, by comparison, was quite a departure from this and they didn’t “get” it. This came not only from my parents, but from many of my friends as well. For the longest time, they didn’t take me seriously.
The Industry Leader
Even if you are not the first to market, you can quickly rise to become one of the biggest names in your niche. I think we’d all agree that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are anything but normal. They also happen to have big bullseyes on their backs from competing companies and people who just happen to be jealous of their success. For every fanboy who loves nothing more than what Apple has to offer, there are countless others who absolutely hate what Apple is all about.
By seeking the greatest success and striving to be the absolute best at what you do, you will inherently attract negative attention from others. I think John Chow once said that if you are not “pissing someone off,” you’re not doing it right. This is the critical difference between playing to win and simply playing to last. Do you want to stand out from the crowd or do you want to finish in the middle of the pack? You’re least likely to get harmed by staying in the middle, after all.
Sticking Your Neck Out
They say the early bird gets the worm, because that bird is the first one to head outside. However, it’s the second mouse who gets the cheese, because the first mouse is probably the one who will get caught in the mouse trap. It’s all about risk and reward… but I’d hate to lead a life of mediocrity. That’s how you don’t suck in life, even if it means that you might get shot by a few arrows.
But, if the worm gets up late, then the late bird has as good a chance of getting the worm as the early bird.
Lol! Whatever..
But then there is the first mouse who was there when the trap setter set the trap off with his finger. He gets the cheese and that second mouse gets caught in the trap.
Ah, the possibilities. As I waited and got an 8 gig iPhone for $99 instead of $499. I think the perspective changes with each risk, each idea.
So.. The phrase slow and steady still stands?
I don’t believe in so and steady as a mantra. There is a time and place for it, then there is also a time for speed right through it. There is a time and place for many different approaches.
To be on the bleeding edge means you become a target, but sometimes being the target can have its advantages. There have been many times that I have been on that edge, then have gained clients because they were “slow and steady”. They then have training needs in what I already have experience in.
There are bound to be considerable risks to get out there first and be the industry leader.
But the rewards for having “first mover advantage” far outweighs the risks.
I have to disagree with you this time my friend. Being on the leading edge is not always the place to be.
Lets go back to VHS versus Beta as a prime example of Beta being better quality and many people jumping into it, but VHS was the standard the movie companies went with because it was cheaper and that left the early adopters with useless equipment and those get in early developer companies in bankruptcy.
Of course you can recite just as many pluses as I can minuses. As I have said and believe, it all comes down to the right time, the right decision and good research in making the decision to jump in or hold back.