2-3-4 Friday
‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’
1 thought
Last Friday, I walked into a publisher’s office. She hosted me
for 2 hours, kindly explaining to me everything she knew about the publishing industry.
And it was interesting she did that, because hear this…
We were starting a publishing outlet ourselves.
She knew this.
She
knew that she would be breeding another competitor.
I thought it was just her. Until we met another publisher this week, and he did the exact same thing. He shared with us his business model, how he made money, how he survived over the years, and what was motivating him.
The thing I took away was this.
That in their eyes, they weren’t nurturing competitors.
They were nurturing collaborators.
To them, with Singapore’s already small book market dominated by big publishers like Penguin Random House, there was no point being afraid of another young upstart.
It was about
shifting tastes away from the big American books people were fond of, to more local flavours.
Often when we think of advising others, we might tend to hold back on certain advice we think might result in their competitive advantage. But what if sharing our insights allowed for a greater, collective wisdom to deal with the complexities of our world?
That might be
a better world to live in.
1 talk
Nurture competition, because that makes you more competitive.
1 tip
You might think,
right, how do I apply this?
And really, why should I do this for others?
If you take this down to the nitty gritty, you would realise that it is you doing things like:
- Sharing with your friend that great quiet cafe, down the roadside
- Telling your friend the stock where you sunk your recent bonus
in
If we turn up the heat, we realise it is:
- Telling your colleague how you work so quickly, and efficiently
- Telling your competitors in business how you manage to get so many sales
Why do this? Why create competition for
yourself?
Firstly, because what comes around, goes around. One good favour shared results in another returned, though we shouldn’t just do it for that.
Secondly, because when you share that insight with someone who can make use of it, your friend might refine that, and make it sharper.
It’s why
people say it’s not just how smart you are, but how smart the people around you are.
If you share something smart and insightful, more people will come your way.
And if you want to find something smart to share, start with reading better books - though that’s a topic for another day.
John
Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love
Think others might benefit? I’m counting on you. Forward this on.
