New year, new thinking?

To get ahead of the competition, you need to set the rules, not follow them

By Terry McKenna

Terry McKenna is principal and co-founder of Employee Performance Strategies Inc. (EPS), based in Chantilly, Va. You can contact him at (888) 788-9090 or perform@eps-i.com

Each new year brings with it a fresh start. Many of us start off our new year with resolutions that are intended to help us make improvements in our life. Promises to ourselves to start working out, eat better, lose a few pounds and stop procrastinating; you know the list. The intentions are good and well-meaning, but the key like everything else is in the execution.

But before you get to the execution phase, you must first have a mental game plan of what it is you’d like to accomplish, along with a rough idea of how to go about it. So with 2007 upon us, what is your game plan for growing your business? Is it the same old, same old? You know, kind of like the “follow the leader” game we played as kids: watch what your competitors do and respond accordingly. Or will 2007 be the year that you radically break out of the copycat approach to managing your business and infuse fresh, innovative thinking into your business model?

Mental Models
Hall of Fame basketball coach Pete Carril from Princeton University was once quoted as saying: “The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong.” Following the same competitive path and employing the same rules of engagement as your competitors will get you the same results that you’ve experienced year after year, with incremental growth at best. If you’re doing the same things as your competitors, what makes you think you’ll enjoy better results? If your strategy isn’t different consider it dead.

In today’s overcrowded, hyper-competitive marketplace, the best way to beat your competitors is to outthink them. Companies like Dell, Apple and Southwest Airlines subscribed to the belief that the best way to predict the future is to create it. And it started by how they thought of themselves in terms of their purpose. Southwest Airlines will tell you that they are in the freedom business, not the airlines business: the freedom for consumers to travel the country at a price and convenience on par with driving their car. SWA’s paradigm shift — freedom vs. airlines — has driven their success. A strong sense of purpose of who you are and what you do, along with a clear definition of what it means to succeed, will serve to guide and direct your company. Companies like Dell, Apple and SWA didn’t succeed by playing by the rules. They got to where they are by setting the rules.

Distinct Point of View
Here are three key areas for you to examine in which to develop a distinct point of view. A point of view that is completely different than your competitors, a point of view that is so far out there that it will enable you to separate yourself from the crowd and stand alone, like the companies previously mentioned.

Purpose: At the heart of every great company is a clear sense of purpose. What does your company stand for? If I were to walk into one of your stores, would the sales associate behind the counter be able to articulate your company’s purpose as well as your CEO? If you can answer yes to that question you’re well on your way to greatness.

Customers: What is your relationship with your customers? Do you even know who your customers are? Is your customer’s buying experience being delivered on theirs or your terms? If you were to go out of business tomorrow, would your customers miss you, and why?

Employees: Do you view your employees as an expense or an investment? If you say your employees are your company’s greatest asset, are your action’s systems, processes and leadership behaviors in alignment with those words? If you answered no, then you’re not walking your talk.

Start your new year off with some honest reflection of who you are and what you do. And in the end, be different!