Is it good to be the underdog?
According to Malcolm Gladwell no less, it is.
In David and Goliath, Gladwell turns how we think about obstacles and disadvantages on their heads, offering a new interpretation of what it means to go up against formidable opponents.
Great book, and something we actively believe in at Worldline, and it makes us feel good that a guy like Gladwell sees things the same way we do.
In battling the bigs, Gladwell puts forth three rules of engagement:
- Changing the Shape of the Battle
- The Act of Overwhelming Odds Produces Greatness and Beauty
- Substituting Speed and Surprise for Strength
How is Worldline Changing the Shape of the Battle?
By not playing by the same rules as the Big Three. First, let’s be honest, we can’t. Their marketing budgets dwarf ours by several orders of magnitude. However more importantly, in striving to become more of a major player in Canadian telecom, we don’t want to become like them. We don’t want to replace them. We want to be better than them. Canadians are being overcharged for their telecom services by our opponents due to a combination of insane overheads and blind greed. We are lean, we are fair, and we are into providing the best services at the fairest prices for our customers, now, and always.
Are we Producing Greatness and Beauty? You kidding? Does this answer your question?
Our Superhero kids really are our kids – and we dare you to not call them beautiful! We double dare you…
And finally, are we Substituting Speed and Surprise for Strength? We are nimble, we are quick, and what we are not is stuck with complexity and process that makes us, like a Supertanker, unable to change course when there is danger ahead. Do you think companies like Rogers, Telus and Bell want the terrible reputations they’ve earned over the past few months? Of course not, but they just can’t help themselves because that’s the course they have set.
Gladwell’s David and Goliath is a terrific book, and not just because it reaffirms what we are trying to do.
It’s also a great reminder how success is so much sweeter when you are beating the odds.