It takes courage to lead. To stand for something and be counted.
Yes, it may be risky. You may be shot down in flames. But what’s the alternative? Be an also ran?
Let’s face it. No one in an organisation wants to make a wrong decision and then be left holding the bag and looking bad.
Mediocrity is everywhere. “Me too” ism abounds. If you want to be successful, you need to break away from the crowd and take a stand.
And more so, you need to encourage the people you work with to do the same, without them fearing being reprimanded for trying something new and shock, horror, failing!
One of the greatest innovators of our time, 3M was renowned for creating new products due to their ” Bootlegging” policy.
Bootlegging is defined as research in which motivated individuals secretly organise the innovation process. It usually is a bottom-up, non-programmed activity, without the official authorisation of the responsible management, but for the benefit of the company. It is not in the department’s action plan nor are there any formal resources allocated towards it.
Yellow Post-It notes are a classic example of this in action. An indispensible part of any stationery cupboard, you can read the story of how they were created at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it_note.
Another more recent example is Apple.
Starting with the Apple II and then the Macintosh, Apple dared to be different. Their market was very small and niched down to mainly graphic designers and musicians.
At the time Microsoft was the dominant player with DOS!
But Apple is now the world’s most successful technology company – surpassing Microsoft, IBM and a host of others.
So what did they do that the others have not?
I think it comes down to a few things.
At no stage did they follow the crowd. They innovated, innovated, and innovated. Not all of their products were world beaters. The Apple IIE certainly wasn’t a great machine.
But they followed it with the Macintosh – which for the first time introduced fonts, a mouse and what you see is what you get interface.
Over the years they’ve released more and more slick looking, easy to use products like the iPod, then iPhone, iPad and of course laptops.
But having innovation and great products in not enough to guarantee success (and frankly usually doesn’t).
Marketing to the right audience is the most important thing you must get right. Without it your product is likely to languish on the vine.
Coming back to 3M and Post-It notes. The adhesive used was invented back in 1968 by Spencer Silver, who tried to promote it without success for over 5 years. 3M launched the product, then called “Press ‘n Peel” in 1977 – to limited success.
In 1978, they took a gamble and gave away free samples to residents of Boise, Idaho – 95% of whom said they’d buy the product. So in 1980, 12 years after the original invention, Post-It notes were born and became the massive success they are today.
And as for Apple? They created a tribe of fanatical followers and evangelists. People who actively went out and spruiked for them.
It’s only in the last few years that they’ve achieved this level of success. They took a stand and frankly polarised their audience. You either love their products or hate them. Very few people are ambivalent about them.
So what are some of the takeaways?
- Be a leader. Take a stand, don’t follow the pack and dare to be different. Understand though that this is the road less travelled and it can be lonely.
- Once you have something to say – go out hell for leather and promote it.
- There are no overnight successes. It can take years of consistent effort to make a breakthrough, but when success finally comes, it’s likely to be an avalanche. Remember… Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.
So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t already, start now. The clock is ticking. After all, it’s just your future at stake.
Rashid.
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