The Power of Anomaly

To achieve strategic advantage, scan the market for surprises.


I really enjoyed reading this article. It is a tad long but has some great stuff in it.

Here is what stuck out for me:

  1. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you must constantly look for weak signals and anomalies. Another good reason to fire yourself from the day to day so you can look out as well as down. Start, Stop, Continue exercise with your team members and regular check-ins with core customers can help gather these “weak signals” over time.
  2. Be aware of biases and entrenched mental models. Continually ask yourself, “What if I am wrong? What other way(s) can we look at this?” As Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
  3. You are all enlightened leaders which means you are comfortable challenging the status quo but remember that the brain LOVES the status quo and fools us regularly Be deliberate about doing so.
  4. The authors give four simple steps to follow. I do most of these regularly in my work with clients.
  5. There are a couple of solid examples in the article. Other examples are WAZE, Apple’s iPod and iTunes, Dyson, NEST, Southwest, etc.

Enjoy!

Be Exceptional!

Bill – Certified Growth Coach – 3HAG, Foundations in NeuroLeadership certified, PI Certified Partner, 100COACHES Member

(bill@catalystgrowthadvisors.com;www.catalystgrowthadvisors.com)

Please click here to download the free pdf version of my book Further, Faster – The Vital Few Steps that Take the Guesswork out of Growth. There is also a link to Amazon for the audio, e-book or paperback versions.

Published by Bill Flynn

Gazelles Member Advisor and early stage startup specialist with a proven track record with 16 Boston-based startups (9 to date with 5 successful outcomes, advisor to 7 others); SMB to Fortune 500 companies. 20+ years of Senior Sales, Marketing and GM experience in industries including mobile advertising, security, digital advertising, e-commerce and IT. Core Competencies: Player/Coach, Metrics-driven, Execution-based philosophy, Life-long learner

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