I was talking to the founder of a new company today, and she asked what she “should be doing.” The inquiry was well intended; she wanted to do the right things, the best things, to ensure the success of her new company. I realized that I had asked this same question many times in my life. What is everyone else doing? What have other successful people done in my situation? Who can I emulate?
Ask the Right Question
I was asking the wrong question. I should have been asking, what is nobody else doing that I can do? Looking back at my life, I realize that the times that I was the most successful was when I was doing something completely different than what other people were doing. Now that I have had that thought, I am looking at some of the more successful people in history. They were all unique and different. They stood out. They may have been trying to accomplish the same outcomes, but their method of doing so was distinct. They were the top performers in their respective fields, not because they complied with some tried and true practice but because they did things differently than everyone else.
Stand Out from the Pack
This is not to say that following some best practices is a good idea, I am sure that there are basic principles that are always going to be good to follow and adopt. However, I am not referring to a concept about what you should be doing or how you should be doing it. I am referring to your overall performance. It is clear that people who are set apart from the rest of the pack stand out and out-perform. This is true with individuals and companies. If you set out to do what “others are doing” or “the way it should be,” then you will have an average performance.
Adopt Unique Approaches
Being a top performer requires adopting unique approaches and a mindset that allows you to view problems from a different perspective. Challenges and issues that have kept everyone else back and uncovered and resolved by the outliers. The people and the companies that overcome the status quo find themselves performing better than everyone else because they have figured out what no one else has. It is for this reason that I think there are certain attributes that top-performing people and cultures possess.
Embrace Creative and Innovative Thinking
Creative and innovative thinking, or what we call out-of-the-box thinking, leads to breakthroughs in processes that dramatically improve performance. This is usually done under great risk, as going against what is considered normal increases the scrutiny when you do fail. Often, early pioneers do fail, and their only grace is that the ones that follow them will take those same ideas and tread down the same path to finally have a breakthrough. These people also adopt a willingness to fail frequently and naturally adopt learning processes to seek new understanding that allows adaptation and agility in responding to changing conditions.
Cultivate a Feedback-Centric Culture
That behavior is tangible. I have seen organizations completely centered around constant feedback because the leaders are themselves top performers. The copycats out there adopt feedback systems because they think that is what “they should do,” not out of any innate desire for constant improvement. These unique and different top performers have passion for their work that sets them apart from the pack. Their enthusiasm is remembered and infectious. That is coupled with a dogged determination and persistence that fuels their forward momentum.
Build Mental Toughness and Inspire Others
All of this builds a mental toughness that stands out above most others, and it is noticeable. Clients, Customers, Shareholders, and Employees can all see this and, as a consequence, rally around these types of people. These are the ones who set the goals, create the vision, and build tribes that center around resolving the most complex problems.
Create Value Through Innovation
Finally, when you are different, and you approach the problems in the world with unique creativity, you end up really building value for others. People will start to recognize that your innovation will help them improve their lives. That added value will be recognized, and people will trade their time, their money, and their attention for this value. This is essentially why being a top performer means being different from everyone else.
