Scouting With Attitudes
Twelve people were sent to scout a new land to see what it looked like and find out what was happening there. Are they good or bad? How are the people? Bring data and sample!
All of them say the same things. That land was so good! But ten of them were discouraged and afraid of the people. Only two of the spies report differently. They both have the bold confidence to say, "We will certainly conquer it!
All twelve were raised in the same culture and environment. They embarked and scouted the same land and the same people, yet their attitudes and perspectives were the opposite.
This scouting story is from the famous Joshua and Caleb. As you know, only two of them could enjoy the land. The rest were punished and not allowed to possess the land. This story serves as a metaphor for what it looks like in the business world.
In the business world, it's normal to scout your competitors. How are they doing? What are they doing? Do they have a new (better) products? Try to find out and keep an eye on what others are doing.
So, how do you see your other competitor? How do you see if someone/another company gets better? What is your reaction? Have you become afraid, like the tenth scout? Because, indeed, your competitors are getting better and exposing you to your weaknesses.
Or do you become excited like Joshua and Caleb? Because you know your worth and chances. You might be smaller or unequal with them, but you are unafraid. You know who you are, the capability inside you, and God - the one who walks beside you. This mindset will give you an advantage in business competition.
Simon Sinek says, "Choose your worthy rivals." It's another player in the game worthy of comparison, like your competitor. We don't need to admire everything about them or be afraid of them. It's simply acknowledging that we could learn their strengths and abilities.
Without rivalry, business will be dull. There is no urgency to improve or do things differently. We need a healthy rivalry to make us better. Keep on sharp.
Business is about grit, learning to be better, innovation. Don't do business if you are afraid and lose hope because somebody is doing better than you.
And as a leader, who do you listen to? The tenth of your scout? It means the vast majority of your trusted team. Or are you willing to listen to the minority - the two different bold opinions?
Blockbuster failed badly and filed for bankruptcy because its leader didn't want to listen to the change. They have an opportunity to do as Netflix did in the early years, but they don't want to.
Kodak has a prototype and patent for a digital camera, but they chose to avoid developing it because they feared it would destroy film sales. Look what happened now? They are gone! These two classic study cases have been taught in many business classes to remind business people to avoid making the same mistakes as them.
Once again, who do you listen to? What is your attitude? How do you take the rivalry? How do you take your weakness to be something that makes you better? Do you believe that you could be better?
About the writer