Being different

It’s not easy being different. There is often safety in remaining with the herd… or at least the perception of safety.

Of course, staying with the herd means suffering the fate of the herd. And once you are on the truck headed for the slaughterhouse the logic of herd mentality is diminished considerably.

You don’t need to be a contrarian, a rebel, or a revolutionary to find your own path. You just have to understand the limits of herd mentality.

For example, after decades of Big Box dominance the micro-club model has begun its ascendency. Bigger is better thinking has given way to less is more thinking and the mid-sized market doesn’t know which way to turn. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The issue is that the Big Boxes and the micro-clubs deliver value in very different ways and the mid-sizers haven’t figured out how to successfully compete with either.

The trick is to exploit the advantages of the herd while also delivering value (that the herd can’t) in a unique way. However, it can’t be done by staying the same… to be better you have to start with being different.

So for the mid-sizers there’s a choice to make… stay with the herd and suffer their fate or leave for greener pastures while you still can.