Being Unique Being “That Guy”
Being Unique
Being “That Guy”
My friend Ray asks, “Is it the competition you have to worry about, or is it just crowded out there?” Competition can be brutal. At its nastiest, it crushes confidence and paralyzes creative action. We experience stress and become ineffective. The success of one determines the failure of another. We launch a ruthless battle for market share, and individuals as well as organizations suffer this misguided focus. After all, what we focus on expands.
What if we found a way to worry less about the other guy—"energy flows where attention goes”—and focus more on creating a winning environment for our customers, our employees, as well as our communities? What if we were to market something that only we can offer? Instead of worrying about how their promotions are better that ours, what if we discover our uniqueness—our individual and organizational authenticity?
How?
Scott Ginsberg (the nametag guy) has made a career out of being unique, of being “That Guy”. He wrote a book about it. You know… the person you recognize as the guy you turn to over and over again for a single, specific thing, experience, or service. There’s your computer guy, your yard guy, advertising or marketing guy, bartender… You get it. That person you choose for the thing or things that are important to you—that you wouldn’t even consider going to get or experience from someone else? Just to be clear, “she” can be that guy as well!
Adapt the simple but brilliant strategy of W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne’s international best seller, Blue Ocean Strategy [about] “How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant.” Red oceans reflect shark infestation and the devoured remains. Blue oceans express originality as we create new demand. We exist alone in the open, blue seas by applying our personal genius, what we like and do best. We rise above the competition. Authenticity at its finest!
So, where to begin? The good news…you already are that person. The challenge becomes getting in touch with your essence unencumbered by old mental models and the paralysis of social conditioning. We enjoy and sail the blue oceans by tapping into and expressing our uniqueness.
Start by using proven, validated personal assessments to identify your own unique preferences and habits of how you think, feel, and act. Many assessments exist, some good, some mediocre—a few outstanding. Jay Niblick, founder and CEO of Innermetrix International— (our personal and organizational assessment guy) has created the absolute best assessments on the planet—validity scores confirm this—and some of the most respected names in leadership—Anthony Robbins & Marshall Goldsmith to name two—agree. (BTW, if you don’t know these two guys, Google ‘em. They’re the best at what they do—globally.
Jay discovered after years of research and application throughout the world, “To identify and achieve your optimal performance, it is critical to understand WHAT natural talents you possess, WHY you are motivated to use them, and HOW you prefer to use them.” After identifying these natural talents, you are responsible to do the pushups that lead to fitness in accessing and applying your authenticity. Here begins the life-long journey of personal development. It delivers reward upon reward—a fulfilling journey you’ll never regret—creating the life and organization you love. That is… unless you are satisfied with your current situation.