staring at your competition is not going to help you...

Sralzheimers

Just a couple of days ago, I overheard a heated debate between two people on the idea of: "looking at the competition for innovation advantage".  In other words, the two people were on polar ends of the spectrum as it pertained to if you SHOULD or SHOULD NOT look towards the competition to stay ahead of the innovation curve.  I did not want to interrupt their debate (I did not know either one of them) BUT I do want to submit my argument here... 

Staring at your competition is not going to help you... 

YES!! Know what's going on in the world around you, YES do your "fair share" of research, but NEVER, EVER look toward your competition for innovation. Now, this is just my humble opinion, BUT what can you gain from doing that; above and beyond incremental adjustments to products, services and brands based on the desire to stay "ahead of the competition"?  I have one rule to this... 

Be the competition... 

It's really about that easy.  When you are thinking about innovation, or better yet, "creating something new", make it that. New.  Do not look at what the competition is doing, to gauge your ideas or your innovations.  This practice is finite at best.  A good example of this is Apple. Yes Apple.  When they created the iPad (and no wonder why Fast Company magazine named them the #1 Company for innovation) they fundamentally re-invented the whole "tablet PC" game by totally re-defining the tablet paradigm.  Because of this "radical thinking" Apple has sold literally millions of iPads.  NOW they are the competition... Thus Motorola "stares" at them and tries to make a "competing innovation" ... The XOOM. Or perhaps I should say... A competing "mousetrap" (I wrote a post some time ago about the problem with mousetraps). 

Dare to be daring... 

Sounds like an oxymoron I know... But do it, and you will find that the innovation that you produce will have some "staying power" some "relevance". Do the unreasonable stuff that breaks rules, redefines marketplaces and build some "thick value".

It matters. 

Tagged Innovation

creativity and innovation never sleep

"Creatvity and innovation never sleeps. Even while you rest, change and progress pushes on..." Josh Boutwell, Designer